Posts Tagged 'Challenge'

200 miles in running events in 2012, even more this year!

Published February 22, 2013 Virgin Money Giving News Leave a Comment
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Crossland

Some fundraisers have really got the running bug!

Not content with tackling 200 miles in events in 2012, Helen Crossland has set herself an awe-inspiring challenge for 2013.

We heard from Helen about her journey:

“In 2009 I decided I would get back into running as I used to enjoy all the sports and events at school.

Getting back into running a good 20 years older wasn’t going to be easy and just like any beginner I found the thought of even attempting to run 5 kilometres an absolutely daunting task.

I knew I would put of any training if I could so I booked myself into some local events to make myself train.  The embarrassment of walking the finish line was not going to happen, I would make it and I will finish whilst running.  My stubborn personality has seen my ability to run long distance go from strength to strength.

If anyone had even hinted that I would be running a marathon in 2013 I would have laughed and called them bonkers for even thinking such a thing.

“It’s now 3 years later and I’ve run various local events of 5 kilometre, 10 kilometre and last year I even got to do more than one half marathon.  That’s 22 kilometres or 13.1 miles.  Either way – it’s a very long way to run.

“This is my second year at this whole fundraising stuff.  2012 I managed to complete over 200 miles of events.

“This year I’ve set myself a much bigger challenge.  Completing all those events in 2012 was hard work.  How could I continue to earn donations by entering running events and keep it a challenge?  I wanted to show that I am going to work much harder this year.

“My 2013 challenge is 5 Marathons (26.2 miles) and 2 Ultra’s (50 miles).  This takes the event mileage to over 300 miles for this year.  To run 26 miles only once is daunting but to attempt it five times in a year has got to be a challenge worth some hard earned pennies.  For those who don’t think 26 miles is far enough the Ultra’s will hopefully show I’m utterly bonkers!

“Milton Keynes Marathon in May 2013 will be my first attempt at marathon distance in an event.

“It’s not going to be easy this year and I want to show that I’m going to earn every penny of donation towards the four charities I’ve selected this year.

  • Make a Wish foundation – having children myself I completely support this idea for the children and their families to have those special moments to cherish.  Nuff said.  I’m welling up with tears.
  • RSPCA – To help them support animals.  I donate to them monthly already and I will for a as long as I can.
  • RNLI – Unsung heroes to our rivers and coastlines.  I will do my best to raise a few pennies for you guys.
  • Cancer Research – Since I started running I have raised money for them each year.  This year I’m doing it through Virgin Money Giving and I hope whatever money I raise will continue the fight against cancer.

There’s not much more I can say other than I’m going to try my hardest to beat last years fundraising effort.

Thank you Virgin for setting up fundraising pages like this to help.”

Upgrade your Virgin London Marathon

Published January 18, 2013 Competitions , Virgin Money Giving News 29 Comments
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Virgin London Marathon Green Start

Are you running the 2013 Virgin London Marathon and fundraising for charity using Virgin Money Giving?

If you set a fundraising target on your page you could be in with a chance to win one of eight upgrades to the celebrity ‘Green’ start on race day.

As well as mingling with the stars you’ll benefit from less crowds, no queues and better loos.

To be in with a chance to win one of these prizes all you have to do is set a target on your fundraising page.

Terms and conditions apply.

Giving the GRIM a go

Published November 30, 2012 Fundraiser Stories , Guest Blog , Virgin Money Giving News Leave a Comment
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This weekend hundreds of participants will take part in the annual GRIM Challenge. We heard from Jake Kanter, who is tackling the course for the fourth time:

“Imagine spending your Saturday morning wading through waist-high icy puddles, wallowing in glutinous watery clay and climbing railway sleepers stacked as high as the bus that transports you to work every day.

“Imagine no more, because this is the reality of the Grim Challenge: a raucous annual celebration of mud and madness on the bracken-cloaked fields of Aldershot.

“The eight mile run is not your standard cross country fare. Situated on an army vehicle testing track and littered with military-style obstacles, even tanks struggle to navigate this terrain without wheezing with effort.

“I consider myself something of a veteran on these fields having completed the event four times. The reality is, it seems to get harder every year. Whether that’s down to the cunning of the organisers, or my steadily declining fitness, I’m not sure.

“What I’m certain of though, is Grim Challenge’s fun factor and its link to the charity I support every year: the Muscle Help Foundation (MHF).

“Like the race, this is an organisation like no other. It works tirelessly to fund and deliver Muscle Dreams – amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for children and young people with muscle wasting disease Muscular Dystrophy.

“MHF fundraisers belong to an elite band known as the Muscle Warriors, who are tasked with straining their muscles to improve the lives of those that are losing their muscles. It’s a simple but compelling vision made tangible by Grim, where Muscle Warriors from all over the country gather to make a difference.

“Emblazoned with MHF’s trademark burgundy t-shirts and sent on our way with a Muscle Haka and an ebullient warm-up, Muscle Warriors support each other through the mud and bluster of the race. So far, every one of the charity’s supporters have crossed the finish line with a smile on their face.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning.”

Make your mark in 2012

Published August 31, 2012 Competitions 2 Comments
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So far 2012 has seen many highlights and this iconic year will most certainly go down in history.

But with all the excitement the downside is charities are feeling the pinch. As people focus on other things, they’re missing out on essential funding – and they need your help.

Already this year we’ve seen thousands of remarkable people take on extraordinary challenges to raise money for charities close to them. From taking on the marathon, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, shaving their head, or pedaloing down the Thames. The difference every single fundraiser has made is huge! But there’s still so much we can do and that’s where you can help.

Whether you’ve already done something for charity this year, or plan to, we want to give you an extra reason to do something special .

We’re so proud of the efforts our fundraisers go to, we’re offering you the chance to win a £2,012 donation to your charity to make your fundraising count for more this year. And the really great news is there are three lots of £2,012 to give away!

It couldn’t be easier for you to enter – just set up a fundraising page for any event or personal challenge happening between 1 October and 31 December 2012 and we’ll automatically enter you into the draw as soon as you receive your first donation. (There’s a draw at the end of each month, so you’ll be included in the draw in the month your event takes place.)

Don’t worry if you’ve already got a page set up for an event during these months – you’ll be automatically entered as soon as you start your fundraising so you don’t miss out.

If you already know what you want to do as a fundraising challenge, why not set up your page today.

If you want to get involved, but undecided what to do, here’s some inspiring stories on what other fundraisers have been doing to raise money.

Go on, make 2012 the year you made a real difference!

Tackling 26 sports for CAMFED

Published July 27, 2012 Fundraiser Stories , Guest Blog Leave a Comment
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In just a few hours the Olympic countdown will be over and the games will begin. We’ve seen lots of fundraisers take up sporting challenges over the past few months inspired by sporting heroes, from cyclists keen to follow in the tyre marks of Bradley Wiggins, to runners looking to complete the marathon distance.

Samantha and Corné Vermaak are taking on 26 sports over the next few weeks – raising money for charity and competing against each other. We heard from Samantha:

“My husband (Corné) and I are raising money for CAMFED by taking each other on in as many of the 26 Olympic Sports as we can. The idea is that we find someone who loves their sport who will coach us for one/a few hours – and then adjudicate our match! I came up with the idea because we ran a 10k relay-around-the-world last year and I needed something that outdid that!

“So far we’ve completed volleyball (which we normally play so that one was easy), boxing (our first time boxing), fencing (first time), badminton, judo (first time; we had six lessons and got our red belt grading before our match), and triathlon (our first ever, which we completed recently).

“Additionally we ran the London 10k on the 8 July as part of our Modern Pentathlon. We’ve also got rowing, dressage, swimming, cycling and athletics lined up, and just need to set dates for basketball and football – and in the meantime we’re still trying to convince people to teach us the rest of the sports on the list!

“Sadly for me, Corné is currently 4-2 up on our overall medal table, but there’s plenty of time for me to catch him yet.

“We’re aiming to raise £1,000 for CAMFED, a great charity that helps girls in Africa stay in school, get their education, and hopefully get out of poverty – while both men and women face difficulties in poverty, worldwide it is estimated that 70% of people in poverty are female.

“We have a blog about our Challenge and a Facebook page both of which have photos and updates about our training and matches as well as links to all the people who have helped us in our Challenge – we’ve been continually amazed and humbled by everyone’s generosity in terms of their time and effort to help us with our Challenge, as well as all the sponsorship and encouraging words.”

You can keep up to date with our challenge and sponsor us on our Virgin Money Giving page.

Top fundraising tips from Diabetes charity JDRF

Published June 21, 2012 Fundraising Tips 3 Comments
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JDRF, the type 1 Diabetes Charity have had a fantastic start to the year with donations and fundraising.

They had a huge team of runners in the Virgin London Marathon and have a whole host of other events coming up – including skydives, community events and treks. We asked them to share some of their top hints and tips for fundraisers:

  1. Start as early as you can. By giving yourself six months, or more you can set a stretching target.
  2. Write a fundraising plan with a target amount. Make sure you include a list of all your potential sponsors and other events that you could use to raise money.
  3. Write a blog or keep updating your fundraising page to keep everyone engaged, including photos and videos to keep it interactive. You should share these on Facebook/Twitter etc to make sure it’s seen by as many people as possible.
  4. Offer your sponsors an incentive (such as a prize for guessing your correct finishing time).
  5. Personally thank all your sponsors after you have completed your challenge, and remind those who haven’t sponsored you it’s their last chance.

Thanks to Jon Medcraft from JDRF for sharing their charity top tips, if there’s something you’ve tried that you know works really well why not share it in the comments below.

Take on the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon as a team

Published June 19, 2012 Events 1 Comment
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In just over 100 days 12,500 runners will be taking to the start line of one of Britain’s most beautiful city runs – the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon.

If you and your colleagues want to get fit and encourage some healthy competition in the workplace, why not set up a team and take on the Corporate Challenge.

The Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon on Sunday 7 October takes in four of London’s Royal Parks; Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Green Park and St. James’ Park as well as passing some of the capitals most iconic landmarks including the Houses of Parliament.

To register for the event on Sunday 7 October just visit the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon website.

There must be at least six members in the team – and all must complete the full 13.1 miles. A prize will be awarded for the fastest corporate team and all corporate team runners will also be eligible for the individual prizes on offer.

If you’ve already got a place either for yourself or your team then get started with your fundraising right now.

Swapping chocolate and wine for energy drinks and gels

Published April 19, 2012 Fundraiser Stories Leave a Comment
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We’ve heard from Kate Rothery, who’s taking to the start line on Sunday, raising money for Mind:

I decided to apply for the Virgin London Marathon in May after a bad few months – I really wanted to do something positive and so I temporarily forgot I hated running and applied for a charity place with mental health charity Mind!

I had completely put it to the back of my mind, especially after tripping over my own foot at a volleyball match and breaking my ankle. With the plaster just off, I’d taken my first opportunity to get back out shopping when a very enthusiastic girl called up from Mind to let me know I’d got a place, finishing with a chirpy ‘Are you pleased?!’… My very blunt answer was ‘er no’ seeing as I still wasn’t allowed to do any physical exercise at all let alone train to run 26 miles. She did seem a little concerned and gave me the weekend to think about it, but with the nod from the physio and with a lack of excuses remaining, I decided to take it, feeling slightly sick when I got the official confirmation through.

An elite athlete would still be horrified by what I call my ‘preparations’ but for me it has been a real lifestyle shift and a huge personal challenge. I have run over 200 miles in rain, wind and snow, asked for running shoes and leggings for Christmas instead of chocolate and wine, boosted the sale of energy drinks and blister plasters considerably and in the meantime started to feel like I could really actually run 26 miles.

Through it all the one big motivation has been running for Mind – the work they do to help sufferers of mental health to overcome their problems is so vital and they work tirelessly to force mental illness into the public spotlight. My dad John Rothery lost his battle with manic depression when I was only 19 years old, taking his own life back in 2005. On the outside he had it all, a good job, a loving family and was a very talented sportsman and PE teacher, popular with his students. But inside he was fighting a disease that took his whole personality away. Depression is difficult to talk about, for the sufferers and for their family – yet sharing the problem is one of the key treatments. I hope by opening up just a little about what happened to us, I have helped to show that depression is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to hide – and in fact one in four of us will suffer at one point during our lives.

I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who has sponsored me so far and their words of good luck and the memories they’ve shared of Dad. I know my Mum and sister hold back tears nearly every time someone donates!

So on Sunday morning at 9.45am, I will take my place alongside thousands of other excited and nervous runners. For me I will looking out for all my friends and family round the course – just like always they will be there to keep me smiling but mostly for the sign saying ‘Finish line’!

 

Chris’ Crazy Challenge

Published March 22, 2012 Fundraiser Stories Leave a Comment
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Chris Pearce has signed up to 13 ‘crazy events’ throughout 13 months of 2011 – 2012 to raise money for CLAPA and Born Too Soon. Chris takes up the story of his challenges, and why he is taking part.

My daughter Poppy was born in May with a cleft palate and Pierre Robin Sequence, a congenital condition which affects the face and jaw. Babies born with this condition often have breathing and feeding difficulties, requiring surgery and lengthy medical care.

Poppy’s medical problems have been extremely difficult for us as a family, but we have had some amazing support from two amazing charities. The Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA) and Born Too Soon, which supports families with premature babies.

These two great charities heavily rely on donations to keep going and to thank them for all their support and continued help I want to raise money and give something back to them.

I’ve already completed a few events including Race the Train, Survival of the Fittest obstacle course, Hell Runner and the GRIM challenge. The donations have all helped to get closer to my £4,000 target and I’ve still got plenty of challenges to complete including the London to Brighton bike ride and the Virgin London Marathon, as well as the not so small matter of a 117 mile coastal walk from Exmouth to Poole.

All proceeds raised during this 13-month campaign will go to both CLAPA and Born Too Soon.

All of the events I’ve already undertaken have been challenging to say the least. I’ve swam through freezing rivers, ran through bogs, crawled through ice and under barbed wire, fallen down hills and even been ridiculed by a three year old girl who said to her mum ‘Mummy that man is really slow!’ Not really the confidence boost you need when you’re virtually last in a triathlon!

At times I thought to myself I must be mad, which I probably am, but knowing I am raising money for these amazing charities keeps me going.
Training has been hard, and I’ve been at the gym at 6:30 in the morning before work and running three times a week in the evening with a long run on Sunday morning to prepare for the various challenges still to do.

The Virgin London Marathon on 22 April is my next challenge. To sponsor me go http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/WistysWinners

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Earlier at the Virgin Money Giving Mini Marathon start kaavmw 90b3nf 1qdxbi ^AS

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