London Marathon 2012
If you have always wanted to take on the challenge of a lifetime and enter the Virgin London Marathon, why not raise funds for Severn Hospice while you do it?
The 2012 Marathon will take place on Sunday 22 April. With over 120,000 people trying to enter the event and only 36,000 places available, it is the biggest fundraiser in the UK. Only 1% of the world’s population will ever take part in a Marathon and you could be one of the lucky few.
Each year ten lucky runners are guaranteed the chance to run through our Gold Bond places. Competition for these is fierce and applications must be submitted by 2 September 2011. We will then review the forms and choose our team, notifying both successful and unsuccessful runners within two weeks. We take several factors into account when making our decision but it is particularly helpful to get an insight into your motivation for applying, so please consider this when completing the form.
After we have chosen our team, some runners may find they have secured their own place through the main ballot. This gives everybody a second chance, as it frees up their Gold Bond to one of our standby choices. We hope that anyone who applied to run for us and who subsequently gets a place through the ballot or their own running club will still be part of our team. The more people who run for Severn Hospice, the more sponsorship will be raised to support our patients and those who love them.
Whether you gain a place in the ballot or you are successful in your Gold Bond application, the Appeals Team will support you throughout your training up to the big day. This will include arranging a meeting with the rest of the Severn Hospice runners, putting you in touch with people who have successfully completed the Marathon before, providing information on travel and accommodation for the event and suggesting training guides.
Of course, you will also receive plenty of help with your fundraising from guidance on maximising your sponsorship to advice on a wide range of activities that can boost your total. You will also be given your own Hospice t-shirt.
Our runners raise an average of £1500 each and, as we have paid a substantial sum for their places, we do expect our Gold Bond runners to aim for at least this figure. We do not ask independent runners (those who have secured their own place) to aim for a specific total but will still give them the same level of support and encouragement.
If you have any questions please contact Mike Perry on 01952 221 351 or email mikep@severnhospice.org.uk. If you would prefer to apply on paper rather than completing our online process, simply download this form and post it to Mike at Severn Hospice, Apley Castle, Telford TF1 6RH.
