Royal Parks Half Marathon Superstars - The Mintridge Foundation Supporters Raise Valuable Funds For Charity When It Is Needed Most
Royal Parks Half Marathon Superstars - The Mintridge Foundation Supporters Raise Valuable Funds For Charity When It Is Needed Most
Covid – 19 has continued to chop and change our plans over the past year, but there is one area that Coronavirus cannot touch and that is the determination of #TeamMintridge supporters to continue to raise valuable funds to support the physical and mental wellbeing of young people.
Sunday 11th April 2021 proved just that.
Rebecca Randell, Sophie Hardy and Dan Griffin should each have been pacing through our capital city and its famous Royal Parks; Hyde Park, The Green Park, St. James’s Park and Kensington Gardens for the Royal Parks Half Marathon presented by Royal Bank of Canada. With yet another cancelled event, the organisers delivered a fantastic virtual event so that so many of the UK charities could still benefit from a hugely impactful fundraising initiative and Becca, Sophie and Dan certainly rose to the challenge. According to the Third Sector, nearly 40% of charities are in a worsening financial situation because of the pandemic and we are therefore very grateful for these three for pacing through their hometowns rather than with the buzz of an uplifting crowd!
Through the unique digital experience, everyone was able to #RunGreen without limits while using the brand-new app a fantastic sustainable race pack (we were huge fans of the finishing line with flower seeds in, we have to say) and achieve their personal goals too.
First up on the Mintridge team sheet was the one and only Rebecca Randell who came to hear about the Mintridge Foundation through the ever supportive Women’s Sport Collective (powered by Sky Sports) and its fantastic networking opportunities. If you are a woman working in sport, at any stage of your career, in any role, we cannot recommend this highly enough for connections such as this one with Rebecca!
Becca had a very personal ambition for her 13.1 miles as she made her way through a sunny Loughborough and that was to return home in 1 hour 30 minutes. It is safe to say that when Team Mintridge first saw her zoom past Go Outdoors, she was looking like this could comfortably be achieved. Smiles were still there as she moved closer to her finish line and 01:27:44 was the outcome. Huge congratulations, we know how much training you have put towards achieving this and to be able to do it for the Mintridge Foundation was the added bonus that we all loved! Setting personal, achievable goals is so often talked about by our elite athlete mentors to their mentees and to see this done by our fundraisers too highlights the synergy of our objectives!
If you would like to support Becca in making Mintridge programmes accessible and affordable to more young people throughout the UK harnessing the far reaching impact that sport has, you can do so just here.
Not too far away, two great friends in Dan and Sophie donned their Limitlesskit tops and were setting off on their virtual Royal Parks Half in the picturesque and sunny Stamford. Dan and Sophie equally had personal aspirations about the challenge and that was to keep their dear friend Max’s memory alive. Max died by suicide in August 2019 and the Max Hunter Fund within the Mintridge Foundation was created.
Max would be incredibly happy to see not only Dan and Sophie pacing the Lincolnshire country roads but close friends joining for parts of the course either running or invaluable cheerleaders when an uplift is so needed. There were cheesy grins all round as they each crossed the virtual finish line and were presented with beautiful (and importantly, sustainable) wooden medals! Well done TEAM!
If you would like to support Dan and Sophie AKA the Speedy Duets to help change perceptions, challenge stereotypes and to encourage looking after our mental health, just as we do our physical, you can do so just here. It will be gratefully received for their mammoth effort!
The Mintridge Foundation would love to welcome new fundraisers for upcoming challenge events such as:
London Landmarks Half Marathon - Sunday 1st August 2021 (13.1 mile RUN)
The Vitality Big Half - Sunday 22nd August 2021 (13.1 mile RUN)
The Great North Run - Sunday 12th September 2021
Swim Serpentine - Saturday 18th September 2021 (2 mile SWIM)
Royal Parks Half - Sunday 10th October 2021 (13.1 mile RUN)
If you would like a #TeamMintridge spot, please contact alex@mintridge.org.uk for individual event information.
Alternatively, you might have found another event that you would like to do, please feel free to enter through individual ballots and fundraise for us separately - we will love to help!
Thank you again everyone. #TeamMintridge
The Mintridge Foundation
Unit 4, Shieling Court
Northfolds Road
Corby
Northants
NN18 9QD
Tel: +44 (0) 1536 447106
