VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON 2017
02 THE REASON TO RUN CAMPAIGN
The 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon has been
celebrating every runner who lines up at the famous
Start Line on 23 April with its call to participants to
share their #ReasonToRun on social media.
Training for and running a marathon is a major
commitment, yet more than 200,000 people applied
for a place in this year’s race.
They all have their own reasons: from aiming for a time
to beating the odds after illness or injury, achieving
incredible weight loss and, of course, raising money for a
charity or cause that’s close to their hearts.
Whatever the reason, it provides a source of constant
motivation during those cold, hard months of training.
The #ReasonToRun theme is designed to celebrate all
the reasons people have for taking on the challenge, as
Event Director Hugh Brasher explained when launching
the campaign in January.
“We know every single runner has a unique
#ReasonToRun the world’s greatest marathon,” he said.
“Whether it’s to set a personal best, to raise money for
a cause, to remember a loved one, to break a Guinness
World Record, to win, to remain an Ever Present, to
qualify for Great Britain, or just because it’s always been
a dream to run the London Marathon – the reasons are
endless and we would love to hear them.”
For months, London Marathon staff have been meeting
and hearing from thousands of runners about their
reasons to run. Many have been in touch through social
media and many have visited the specially commissioned
photobooth to share their stories with the world through
#ReasonToRun and @LondonMarathon.
This booth has been travelling the country, appearing at
different events over the last few months, giving runners
from all over the UK the opportunity to tell their story
by recording a short video, taking photos and sharing
their unique #ReasonToRun on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram.
The booth will be present at the London Marathon Expo
at ExCeL where runners will be registering for the event
from Wednesday 19 April to Saturday 22 April.
“The reason to run campaign is a way to unite all 39,000
people who will run the 2017 London Marathon on 23
April,” said Brasher.
“We want all runners to come to this photo booth to
record their reason and share it on social media with the
rest of the world.
“We are saying to everyone who is running, ‘Come to the
booth, share your reason to run and make that day on
23 April even more memorable.’”
Three members of the Creasy family are among the
hundreds who have already told their story. Pippa and
two of her four children, Henrietta and Will, are running
in memory of husband and father Dr Terry Creasy who
committed suicide four years ago following an acute
battle with depression.
They are running to raise awareness of suicide – the
biggest cause of death in men under 45 in the UK – and
working with Heads Together, this year’s official charity,
to get people talking about mental health.
The family are fundraising for one of Heads Together’s
partners, CALM (the Campaign Against Living
Miserably), which works to prevent male suicide.
“Husbands, fathers, brothers and sons are being lost
to a silent killer that as a society we find difficult to talk
about,” said Henrietta. “It’s time to start the conversation.
We hope the test [of running the marathon] will be
made significantly easier knowing we are running for
two fantastic charities that are raising much needed
awareness of men’s mental health.”
Paramedic pair Dan Farnworth and Richard Morton
are also running for Heads Together. Dan struggled
with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after attending a
harrowing call-out in which a child tragically died.
“I was struggling to cope with what I’d seen but I couldn’t
speak out about it,” he said. “I became financially
unstable and started smoking and drinking a lot. I didn’t
know where to turn.”
A text message to his colleague Rich asking to chat
gave Dan the outlet he needed. “Just the power of that
conversation, that one text, changed everything for me.”
The pair discovered the Blue Light Programme, a
scheme set up by the charity Mind that aims to raise
awareness of mental health among the emergency
services community. With the programme’s help, Dan got
himself back on track.
Rich added: “As professionals in the blue light
community you find it difficult to communicate, and that’s
one thing we’re trying to do – break down the stigma
surrounding mental health and show that it’s OK to talk
to people.”
As if that were not a powerful enough reason to run,
both men find running a much-needed release from the
strains of their working lives.
“I find while I’m out training I have a lot more time to
compute things and ‘me’ time. It ticks every box,” said
Dan.
Media Guide 2017 15
VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON 2017
Some #ReasonToRun Quotes
Here are some of the #ReasonToRun messages that have been shared so far by some of the
well-known names in this year’s race:
Baasit Siddiqui Reality TV star
Adam Woodyatt Actor
Star of Channel 4’s Gogglebox:
“I am running the Virgin Money
London Marathon to help raise
money for Cash for Kids, a charity
that helps very disadvantaged
children.”
Chrissie Wellington Triathlete
TV star who plays Ian Beale in BBC1’s
Eastenders:
“I’m taking part in the London
Marathon with my son for The
Children’s Air Ambulance to highlight the difference in speed between
land and air transfers.”
Sean Fletcher TV journalist
Four-time Ironman World Champion:
“Because I am too impatient to walk.
And because it’s a great opportunity
for us all to come together to raise
so much money for charity. I’m really
keen to prove that we’re capable of
more than we think.”
Mark Chapman Broadcaster
Presenter of Match of the Day 2:
“I am running for The Christie
Hospital, a remarkable place full of
remarkable people who have been
caring so well for a member of my
family. I’ll never be able to thank them
enough.”
George Riley Broadcaster
Presenter of Channel 5’s Football
on Five:
“After missing last year through injury
I’m determined to get my fitness back
and conquer this phenomenal event
again. As an ambassador for the
Steve Prescott Foundation I want to continue raising awareness of his incredible story.”
Helen Glover Rower
Two-time Olympic champion:
“I’m running because I want a fun but
challenging focus after the pressure
of the Rio Olympics and a chance to
raise some money for a great charity, the Brain and Spine Foundation.”
16 Media Guide 2017
ITV and BBC presenter:
“I’m running the Virgin Money London
Marathon for Heads Together to help
raise awareness for mental health
issues among young people.”
Jenni Falconer Radio & TV reporter
DJ on BBC Radio 1:
“I absolutely love running the Virgin
Money London Marathon – the
atmosphere is incredible, it’s a
fantastic opportunity to raise
funds and awareness for so many
wonderful charities including Cancer Research UK, for whom I’m running – and finally for me it is the ultimate challenge.”
Adele Roberts Radio DJ
Presenter of the National Lottery
Draw & This Morning:
“I’m running the marathon in memory
of my cousin Michael Roberts. The
work Heads Together do in helping
young people through difficult times
is vital and I’m proud to support their Incredible work.”
More #ReasonToRun quotes can be found on the
@LondonMarathon Twitter channel.