A huge congratulations to our Churchill colleagues who completed the London Marathon last month and raised a combined total of over £12,000 for Oasis Community Learning. A truly amazing achievement and something we are all incredibly proud of.
Despite the April showers, every member of the team took the 26.2 miles in their stride and did a fantastic job of running through the streets of London. We caught up with some of them to get their thoughts and feelings post the event.
Tracey Cheung, Head of HR, finished the race in 5hrs 35mins and said: “I still cannot believe I ran the London Marathon, what an amazing day and the crowds were phenomenal. I will never forget this once in a lifetime experience, with all the memories I made on the day – if you ever get the opportunity – do it!”
“An experience I will never forget. It was as tough mentally, as what it was physically” commented Lee Morgan, Commercial Manager who completed the race in 3hr 55mins.
With a finish time of 4hrs 31mins Graeme Jones, Operations Director, said: “I’m still over the moon that I managed to run 26 miles without stopping. I have memories from the day that will stay with me for the rest of my life and I’m thankful that I managed to help Oasis in my own little way by raising just over £1k for them so far.”
“What a day! Firstly, a huge congratulations to all the London Marathon runners, especially my colleagues, you are all a true inspiration. I could not be prouder of you all. Also, a huge thank you to the Oasis Community Learning team for allowing me to represent your fantastic charity, it has been an honour. If you have ever considered running at any level, do it, it will be the most amazing journey you will embark on.” Said Ruben Correia, Sector Director who finished the race in 5hrs 08mins.
Carrie-Anne Kettle, Contract Administration and Billing Team Leader said: “It was an amazing day, and the months of work and dedication were so well worth it. The crowds were wonderful, and I had the most amazing day. The weather was unable to dampen spirits, and towards the end the sun even shone.”
As always at the London Marathon, the crowds played a massive part in the day. The encouragement and enthusiasm from the side lines didn’t go unnoticed with Ruben commenting: “Knowing that at mile 9 I could have easily given up the crowds do genuinely carry you through the pain barrier.”
Lee also appreciated the spectators saying the atmosphere and encouragement from all the supporters pulled him across the finish line.
Beth Morley, Business Support Partner, reminisced over the feeling of turning the final corner and finishing the race in 6hrs 15mins. For her seeing the finish line will be a core memory forever. She said: “I am proud of what I achieved, proud of the money I raised for an incredible charity and proud of the team I had the pleasure of meeting on this journey. Over 300 miles worth of training runs to lead up to this day, and I can truly say it was worth every moment. I am part of the 1% of the population to complete a marathon, and that to me is just mind blowing.”
Money raised by our fantastic team of runners will be going some way towards the Oasis Community Learning ‘Living Rooms’ project, which will offer a warm and welcoming space in every Oasis building where families can relax and enjoy a free meal.
Well done to all the runners and the London Marathon class of 2023.