Virgin Money London Marathon runners put their best foot forward this weekend as they raised a record of almost £60,000 for the world’s largest youth charity, YMCA.
In total, 26 YMCA runners crossed the finishing line on the Mall, on Sunday 24 April, with the fastest of our amateur athletes completing the course in three hours and 17 minutes.
Money raised will now be split between YMCA England, the national council of YMCAs, and local YMCAs of the runners’ choice.
David Cheung, 29, from Southend, in Essex, took part in the marathon for YMCA. He completed the run in five hours and 19 minutes. David was raising money for Southend YMCA and YMCA England in memory of friend Tom Moulton, a former Southend YMCA worker who died last year.
Afterwards, he said: “It was brilliant out there. The crowd were awesome and so supportive, handing out drinks and sweets to the runners.
“Crossing the finishing line was just a huge relief.”
Andy Williamson, 28, from Southend, was also running for Southend YMCA and YMCA England, in memory of Tom.
He said: “It was difficult for me after about 20 miles but that’s when you remember the reason you’re doing a run like this. It’s that which pushes you through.
“The work YMCA does is huge, helping young people who really need support.”
YMCA is the oldest and largest youth charity in the world. There are more than 120 YMCAs across England and Wales, working in more than 560 communities and intensively supporting almost 230,000 young people.
Alicia Jumman, Corporate Partnerships Executive at YMCA England, said: “We are so proud of all our Virgin Money London Marathon runners this year.
“For many, the last few months have been a long slog of training and sacrifice but it is worth it now for all those who had always dreamed of taking part in – and, most of all, completing – this marathon.
“I want to personally say a huge ‘thank you’ to them and to all their supporters who donated so much money to the YMCA cause. Every penny really does count and, as a charity, we will make sure donations are spent where they are needed most to support vulnerable, young people in need.”
This year, 37,300 professional and amateur runners completed the Virgin Money London Marathon.
You can still donate to your local YMCA marathon runner online at Virgin Money Giving. Alternatively, you can give directly to YMCA by visiting www.ymca.org.uk/donate
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For more information or to request an interview with a YMCA representative, please contact Andrew Mortimer, Communications Manager, at andrew.mortimer@england.ymca.org.uk or call 020 7186 9543.
Notes to editors
- Founded in 1844, YMCA in England is made up of 114 member YMCAs working to ensure that young people have opportunities to thrive and contribute positively to their communities.
- YMCA operates in over 530 different communities in England impacting upon the lives of over 600,000 people every year.
- YMCAs provide almost 10,000 beds for young people every night. YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of safe, supported accommodation for young men and women.
- YMCA enables nearly 43,000 people every year to engage in education, skills and training to enable them to improve their opportunities in the job market.
- YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of health and wellbeing services promoting physical activity.
- For further information please visit www.ymca.org.uk