Team i.SCOUT go the extra 13.1 miles to raise funds for Scouting

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Team i.SCOUT go the extra 13.1 miles to raise funds for Scouting

12/10/2011

It was a (half) marathon not a sprint for 30 adults who took part in the recent Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon, hoping to raise £15,000 for The Scout Association.

The run passed many London landmarks, including the London Eye and Buckingham Palace. It was the largest fundraising challenge event Scouting has participated in to date. The team included Network members, section leaders, parents of youth members and Association staff.

Money raised by the runners will go towards projects that help deliver Scouting in areas it’s currently not offered – extending the promise of everyday adventure to more young people.

The running chair

The lead runner for Team i.Scout was Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sir Alan Craft, who has over 30 marathons to his name. He romped home in a time of 1:41:30, and the i.Scout runners came flooding in after him.

‘It was an excellent day for running,’ said Alan, ‘and it was nice to run side by side with some of the team for part of the race. Together we will have made a difference.’

No previous experience required

Some runners were taking on the challenge of a half marathon for the first time. John Dickin, a Nights Away Adviser, was delighted to complete the race without stopping: ‘I kept to my plan of a constant slow pace and even collected drinks on-the-run.’

Husband and wife team David and Julie Whall were pleased with their respective times of 1:45 and 2:15. Snowdonia Cub Scout Leader Julie said: ‘What a privilege running around Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. I wonder if the Queen took a quick peek?’

Dedication’s what you need...

While most of Team i.Scout donned bright purple running vests, Simon Atkin, an Assistant Cub Scout Leader for Grove Scouts in Oxfordshire, decided to run in full uniform. By finishing in 1:47:55 he set a world record for the fastest half marathon run in Scout uniform. The record is expected to be verified by Guinness World Records in the coming weeks.

If you are inspired by the team and would like to take on your own challenge, there are many events you can sign up for. These range from a fancy dress 5k to the Virgin London Marathon and include adventure races and runs of varying distance.

Visit the Challenge Events website to choose your challenge

Congratulate Team i.Scout and make a donation to The Scout Association

See pictures and video of Team i.Scout at the Royal Parks Half Marathon

Comments

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By Julie Whall
on 13/10/2011 14:31
It was, indeed, an amazing day, don't delay, sign up to have the time of your life and raise money for the Scouts!!

By John Dickin
on 14/10/2011 10:02
Had a great day on my first half-marathon for 22 years, thanks to my sponsors & the fab encouragement from all the marshals. Bag-packing might be my preferred fund-raising method for a couple of months! Congratulations to Simon Aitkin & all the others.

By Jamie
on 14/10/2011 10:07
Well done everyone and indeed a running chair! It's an amazing thing to do any type of Marathon and I'm glad of the amounts being raised for Scouts...

Here's my BUT..... We have in the grim North (thats outside London) the worlds largest half marathon the BUPA Great North Run, which see's Scouts taking part in every aspect of the run, from running it in the Junior Great North Run, running the senior GNR, to teams of Scouts manning the many Water and Poweraid stations provided for the runners.
BUPA/NODA Int. also make donations to the District's involved for helping run these stations and we have been providing water to the runners for as long as the run has been ran...
Millions of pounds are raised every year for charity on this run and I think the Association have missed a trick looking no further than the bottom left of the country (largly) again.
The Districts involved also have the opportunity to attend the awards dinner each year, run later in the year at Newcastle/Gateshead Hilton and some members have won awards for outstanding service to the Great North Run from NODA..

My point being, its sad to see that only southern events (with the exception of Liverpool) have been focussed on yet again!

Not a grumble just an observation!
I'm genuinely in ore of anybody that can run any marathon, so well done to all involved ..

Jamie..

By The Scout Association
on 14/10/2011 12:53
Thanks to all our runners in the Royal Parks. This is the first time we've put a team together and are really pleased with everyone's results and the effort put in to raise funds for Scouting. We are planning to enter many more challenge events across the UK.

Unfortunately for the more popular events we also have to enter into a ballot system for charity places, so we are hoping we will be successful with the BUPA North Run as we recently applied for places for 2012.

This doesn't stop anyone doing their own challenge at an event near you, we would love to hear about the challenges you are taking on, on behalf of Scouting. Please email challenge.events@scouts.org.uk

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