It’s the same every year – whether it’s your first time or your fifteenth. You enter the ballot full of hope, anticipation and maybe a bit of anxiety in April then put it to the back of your mind and get on with your life until results day rolls around.
Then, full of the same mix of emotions, despite saying you’re chilled about it and not going to, you spend all day refreshing your emails until it finally lands in your inbox. The ballot result.
If you’re one of the very, very small minority who receives the coveted ‘yes’ email, congratulations! You’re starting the journey towards what’s going to be one of the most amazing days of your life – I know, I’ve had that day three times now.
For the rest of the pot, it’s the not-surprising-yet-still-disappointing ‘no’ email. When this happens, you’ve got a few options for what to do next.
You might do nothing – if the no email wasn’t actually too disappointing for you, and gave more of a huge flood of relief, then you’ll likely end your marathon journey here without thinking too much more about it. That’s fine, only 1% of the global population have done a marathon after all, so this is probably the most popular option.
But if you’ve got your heart set on doing that 26.2, you need a plan.
First, you need to decide if it’s the London Marathon and only the London Marathon you want to do. If it’s more about achieving the distance, what comes next on the plan is quite a bit easier. There are heaps of fantastic alternatives both in the UK and globally to get your teeth stuck in to. A couple of things I’d put on your list to consider when choosing which alternative to do:
How much will you want crowd support?
If you know you’re the kind of person who thrives on running through spectator-lined streets and will struggle with long, fairly solitary country lanes, then you need to make sure you’re picking one of the bigger, city based events such as Manchester or Brighton, for example.
Is April the best time of year for you?
Now you’re not tied to the third weekend in April, you could have a think about whether you might prefer to train over the summer – and give yourself a few extra months to bank the miles too. Consider any major life events you've got that might hinder your training...I learned the hard way last year that wedding planning and marathon training aren't very easy to run in tandem!
Do you fancy a bit of running tourism?
Combining the marathon challenge with a few days in another country is really special. Whether it’s a return visit to get a new view on a favourite holiday destination, or a trip to explore somewhere new completely, there’s hundreds of marathons to choose if you widen your search area
What are the cut off times?
While London is known for its particularly generous cut off times, other marathons aren’t quite so. And I could write a whole separate post on the subject of cut off times, but for now all I’ll say is, you’ll feel enough pressure on the day as it is, without needing the worry of whether you’ll manage to cover the distance in the time allowed, so it’s always worth a quick check before signing up to make sure you’re confident you’ll be able to do it.
If you’re thinking all this sounds great London is the only marathon you want to do, then you’ll need a charity.
Of course there’s championship and Good For Age schemes to get you in, too. But by the time the ballot is announced, these schemes have generally closed for the year. And let’s face it, with all the best will in the world, these methods aren’t easily achievable to the bulk of runner – that’s kind of the point.
A lot of people are put off from going down the charity route because of the fundraising targets required. And while I’m not saying it’s easy, you can do it, if you’re prepared to put a bit of effort it. Plus, if you truly are desperate to do the London Marathon, then you’ve just got to accept it.
I’ve ran the London Marathon for charity three times now, plus a bunch of half marathons and various other challenges. Fundraising requires time and commitment, but it’s so worth it – both for the chance to do some really cool stuff, but also for knowing you’ve made a difference to somebody some where’s life. It’s a nice feeling.
Back to the practicalities, here’s my five top tips for getting a charity place.
1. Don’t just pick one charity
The likelihood is that the charities will all have their own application process, so you won’t be guaranteed a place. I’d recommend drawing up a list of four or five charities you’d like to run for, and think about your reasons why. A quick Google search returns pages of results for charities who’d like you to join their team choose a few who have values similar to yourself – not only will this give you something to talk about honestly in your application form, but it will help to motivate you through the months of fundraising ahead. The first time I did London, I ran for Girlguiding, a charity I’ve been involved with for most of my life, so it was a natural fit.
2. Research smaller charities
While there’s loads of obvious household names you could go for, there’s often much less competition for some of the smaller charities who have places so don’t just go for the big names. Sometimes, the fundraising targets are a bit smaller too. The second and third times I ran London, I did it for Childhood First, a smaller charity based in the south of England. From my experience with London and other events, when you run for a smaller charity you have a much more personal relationship with the fundraising team which is lovely – and you know that every single penny your raise really makes a difference.
3. Spend time on the application
You’re getting ready to commit a good few months of your life to training for the marathon, so be prepared to commit a reasonable amount of time to writing your application. Like when you apply for a job, you should tailor each application to the charity you’re applying to. Talk about why you admire their work, why it’s important to you, and any personal experiences you’ve had with the causes they stand for. Really let your passion stand out, use emotive language and don’t be afraid to be a bit cheesy. Remember, the person or panel reading your application will probably be reading a big pile of them, so you don’t want to be just another “I’ve always wanted to run the London Marathon”… be specific, tell them why you want to run…and why they’re the charity you want to run for.
4. Have a solid fundraising plan
Most applications will ask how you plan to raise the money. Charities pay a significant amount for the places, so they need to be confident you’ll raise enough to make it worthwhile them awarding you a place. I find, the best thing to do here is outline a month-by-month plan of activities you’ll do to keep the donation pot filling.
It doesn’t have to be all elaborate charity balls and galas every month, it can be as simple as doing a payday pound drive in August, chocolate raffle in September and sponsored sober October. In fact, it’s best to have a mix of smaller scale actions combined with a few bigger events during your fundraising period to really make the most of it. Don’t forget to note how much you’d expect each to raise and make sure that tallies up to the total target!
5. Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone
This ties in everything, and it stands not just for the application, but the whole journey you’re about to embark on. Marathons are hard work, they require commitment and dedication. You’ll be shattered from the training then need to plaster on a smile and work a room selling raffle tickets. Nobody likes asking for money, but you’ll need to get comfortable with it if you’re going to raise a few thousand pounds for your charity.
But it’s so, so worth it.
I wasn’t exaggerating when I said London will be one of the best days of your life. It’s hard to really describe quite the sense of achievement you’ll feel when you cross that line next April, glowing in a mixture of sweat and satisfaction.
Do yourself proud, good luck!
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| That finish line feeling! |
