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I wanted to challenge myself and improve on my half marathon time from last year and I've been aware of Momentum for a while through a friend who benefited greatly from the charity as a teenager. His own fundraising efforts (swimming the English Channel) for Momentum really inspired me do something too so I signed up to take part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon in October 2015.
For anyone thinking of taking part in a similar event, my advice is to definitely do some training, especially if you don't run regularly. A 10km race would be a good place to start. You only need to commit about 3 months for training and having a training/running partner can make all the difference! I really enjoyed the training with my running partner leading up to the race, and it was so satisfying to see improvements in my fitness so quickly.
I had such a wonderful time at the event. The Royal Parks half marathon is set in such beautiful scenery, plus the event is organised really well with lots of water stops and importantly there are so many people on the sidelines cheering you on!
Momentum was very supportive throughout the process, from sorting out the preliminary entry to making proactive efforts to keep in touch with training and preparation; they made the whole journey so easy!
It was incredibly satisfying and gratifying to know that we were raising money for something which made a direct effect on the pastoral and wider support of families of children with life-limiting diseases and cancer. I'm a medical student and I've seen the desperate lack of resources the NHS faces; seeing as providing medical care is (and should be) the NHS's priority, often families and children's overall wellbeing can be neglected, and it was reassuring to know that Momentum provides help in such a personal way.