What inspired you to fundraise?
My mother suffered from Vascular Dementia and when she died I wanted to raise money for the Alzheimer's Research Trust and to draw attention to this dreadful disease.
What did you choose to do and why?
I chose to run marathons - I originally started running to raise money for cancer in memory of a friend who died of the disease. It seemed a natural progression to train for a marathon and the London Marathon is the ideal fund-raising event because it has such a high profile.
What was involved and did you get much help from the organisation/people you were supporting?
I have been running marathons for 3 years now. My first marathon was tough (www.justgiving.com/redheadsmarathon) but I thoroughly enjoyed it so I decided that I would train for a series of marathons (7 in total) to be run during my 50th year, with the highlight being a 50 mile race. You can read about the challenge I set myself here at www.justgiving.com/extremeredhead where there is also a link to my blog.
I wanted to get as much publicity at the London marathon as possible so I decided to run whilst knitting and got a Guinness World Record for the Longest Scarf Knitted Whilst Running a Marathon! (Please note, this was sheer folly and not something I would ever recommend to anyone as it was very difficult and potentially dangerous)
This year I set myself another challenge of running 5 marathons, including the London Marathon (again knitting even though i said I would never do it again!). This year's fund-raising page is at www.justgiving.com/redhead
My charity was very helpful and helped publicise my efforts. I also became a 'media volunteer' and regularly speak on TV, Radio and to the Press about mum's dementia. I have also been interviewed by several national magazines.
What was it like planning for it?
Every part of it took a great deal of time - I was spending 10 hours a week on my running training plus all the time spent writing letters asking for sponsorship etc.
How long did it take, including everyone's time?
A regular monthly commitment
What was it like asking for donations, any top tips?
Jolly hard work! The first time is easy because you can ask all your friends, work colleagues, neighbours etc. Plus they will all be impressed with you doing a marathon. After that it gets much harder as you are then going back to the same people.
You need to be passionate about the charity you are raising money for if you want people to give their hard-earned cash.
Some people may not be able to make a donation but they could perhaps support you in other ways - for example by smiling and waving to you if they see you out and about on your training runs. try to make everyone feel as if they are part of it.
Set up a fund-raising page on the internet and email the details to everyone you know. Don't take refusals to heart - they are not personal and some people simply won't give money to charities.
What was your target?
£1500 the first time
How much did you raise?
£3500
Would you do it again?
I already have!
What advice would you give to someone wanting to do the same thing?
- Tell everyone you know what you are doing and why.
- Get as much publicity as possible from the local newpapers/radio.
- Set up a fund-raising page on the internet and email everyone you know with the details. You can update it with details of your training as you go along.
