After a wet start, the sun eventually made its appearance for a record 36,000 runners taking part in the 30th London Marathon on Sunday 25 April 2010.
In what turned out to be a spectacular day, WaterAid’s team of 98 supporters crossed the finishing line to raise £100,000 for our work. Sarah Canniford, Event Fundraising Executive, said: “Congratulations to all our runners for their amazing efforts and for raising such a significant amount.
“WaterAid had a great presence at the marathon, with three enthusiastic cheering points along the way and some ‘après running’ pampering. A big thanks to all the volunteers and WaterAid employees who turned out on the day to cheer our runners on – you really helped to create a brilliant atmosphere while raising our profile.”
Our runners
WaterAid’s notable runners this year included Geoff Clarke and Martin Brockington from Thames Water, who completed the race dressed as Humphrey the camel. Not only did they raise over £2,000 for WaterAid, they were also interviewed during the live marathon coverage and were featured on the BBC News at Ten. Bernie Merron, our fastest runner, completed the 26.2 miles in 3 hours 9 minutes, achieving his personal best.
Also joining the London Marathon team this year were WaterAid’s very own Duncan Wilbur, Corporate Development Manager, who completed the race in 4 hours 18 minutes, and Rebecca Poyntz, Events Fundraising Executive, who came in at 4 hours 53 minutes.
Rebecca said: “It was a great day. As my first marathon it was a big challenge, but I really enjoyed the whole experience and the crowds were simply amazing, as was seeing two of our runners dressed as a WaterAid camel. “Passing our cheer points and hearing people shout out my name was absolutely brilliant; I’m really grateful to everyone who supported us on the day.”
What’s all the fuss about?
30 years ago, the London Marathon was the first charity road event of its kind and its popularity has seen marathons spring up around the world. It is estimated that participants have raised over £500 billion pounds for charity since it began in 1981.
Sarah said: “We make a big deal out of London Marathon. Its huge crowds make it a significant fundraising event for WaterAid and a great way to raise awareness of our work. Marathons on the whole are valuable events for generating funding; within the space of a week we have had runners in both Brighton and London raising a total of around £200,000.”
Run the London Marathon for WaterAid in 2011 Fancy taking part in next year’s race? Register for one of WaterAid’s charity places
Alternatively, the public ballot system will open on 4 May 2010.
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