Running The London Marathon For Wimbledon Guild

The Virgin Money London Marathon will be held on Sunday 22nd April 2018. The event was first run on 29th March 1981 and has been held in the spring of every year since.

This year, 327,516 people from the UK applied for a place and more than 40,000 will run the 26.2 mile (42.2km) marathon through the streets of London.

I Will Be Running The London Marathon On Behalf Of…

The London Marathon is the largest annual fundraising event on the planet. I am running on behalf of The Wimbledon Guild Of Social Welfare.

Their aim is to help local people of all ages lead a better life by tackling poverty, supporting ageing and encouraging mental well-being. They are the heart of our community.

Living and working in Wimbledon has shown me many of the fantastic things Wimbledon Guild do. I’ve been really inspired by this charity. So much so, I’m running 26.2 miles for them!

Help me support them by visiting my Just Giving page: donate here > To find out more about what The Wimbledon Guild do read here >

Flora & Ben, both running The London Marathon for the Wimbledon Guild

Flora & Ben, both running the London Marathon 2018 for the Wimbledon Guild

I Am Running For The Wimbledon Guild Because…

My first introduction to Wimbledon Guild was in September 2017. I was in the early stages of dealing with my symptoms of depression and I’d actively stopped doing the things that didn’t make me happy, and started doing more of the things that did. I’d read a Tweet from @wguild about a talk on bees. My grandfather had bees, and I love honey, so decided to go, not knowing what to expect.

The bee talk at the Guild was so interesting, but the biggest and best thing I felt was feeling part of my local community. It was fulfilling to chat about the little things you don’t get to in busy modern day life; things like memories of your childhood, and to have a cup of tea and a biscuit whilst listening to somebody else’s stories.

Feeling like a part of my community has been a huge part of me feeling good about myself.

Since finding out about the Wimbledon Guild last year, I’ve met many of the compassionate people who work for it, I’ve helped out at the ‘Exercise After Stroke’ class, been to the Home Food Cafe, and been a part of the ‘Love Ball’ party which raised awareness and funds for Wimbledon Guild.

I’m really excited to run my first marathon, and to do it for a very meaningful charity.

Thank you to the Wimbledon Guild for being there for me.

Flora at the (very muddy!) Wimbledon Common Half Marathon on 8th April 2018

You Can Be A Part Of It, Too…

Whether you run, walk or cheer from the sidelines, this is a London sporting institution. Every year, millions of people watch and cheer – the atmosphere is electric – you could call it London’s 26.2 mile street party! Find the best place to watch the marathon here >

Maybe I’ve inspired you to enter it next year? Or perhaps I’ve inspired you to support the Wimbledon Guild? You can do this by kindly visiting my Just Giving page: donate here >

Any donations you can make will be massively appreciated.

If You Would Like To Spectate, Here Is The Route…

The 26.2 mile course takes runners on a vast and impressive scenic route of London, the organisers have dubbed it a “historical jog around London.”

The Elite Wheelchair Race starts at 8.55am, followed by World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup ambulant races at 9am, The Elite Women’s Race at 9.15am, then The Elite Men’s Race, British Athletics & England Athletics Marathon Championships and Mass Race (that’ll be me!) at 10am.

It starts in Blackheath, heads east through Charlton and Woolwich for three miles, turns west and passes the Cutty Sark in Greenwich after six to seven miles. It crosses the River Thames at Tower Bridge and then loops around the east end of London, past Canary Wharf in Docklands, before heading west again along the Highway and the Embankment to Parliament Square, Birdcage Walk and the final corner in front of Buckingham Palace.

Look out for me on the big day!