Running to make a difference: How charity and runners go hand-in-hand
With last year's London Marathon having raised £58m and the 2023 event behind us, Running Tales looks at the importance of running for charity
From racing rhinos to colourful tops featuring everything from household name charities to the faces of lost loved ones, there is no escaping the power of charity at the London Marathon.
Yesterday’s event was no different with thousands of runners pounding the streets of the capital to raise millions of pounds.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the 2022 event raised more than £58m for charity - the highest amount since a record-breaking £66.4m was raised in 2019.
The figures are astounding and the impact that money has on causes which help those suffering or in need is immense, but the London Marathon is just one - albeit massive - event at the heart of a running world which is so often intrinsically linked to fundraising.
In this article, Running Tales takes a look at three runners who have used the sport to do incredible things for charity, pushing themselves further than they have ever done before.
Gary McKee - The ‘Marathon Man’ who raised a million
For most people, one marathon is more than enough but for Gary McKee it was only the start.
The 53-year-old, from Cleator Moor in Cumbria, finished 365 marathons in 2022 - one for every day of the year.
In doing so he raised more than £1.3m for Macmillan Cancer Support and Hospice at Home West Cumbria.
Gary is no stranger to fundraising. Previous endeavours have seen him cycle across Brazil, climb Kilimanjaro and trek through New Zealand.
He's also run from Lands' End to John O'Groats, completed 100 marathons in 100 days (and 110 in 110), become the first person to run the Fred Whitton cycle route, and finished seven London marathons.
His fundraising started after his father was diagnosed with cancer in 1997. Victor McKee survived that scare, but died from an unrelated illness in 2005.
Despite his incredible fundraising achievements, Gary told Running Tales he is only “doing what I’m capable of”.
In a podcast interview towards the end of last year, he said: “If more people did what they were capable of, we’d live in a different world.”
Asked what he thought about people calling him a hero, he said it made him feel “humble”.
“My heroes are the people who put their lives on the line going into burning buildings or performing life-saving operations,” he said.
“I’m just a fundraiser. Just me, the person who I am, doing what I’m capable of.”
Also on Running Tales:
Super Mario - The Ironman who always finishes with a smile on his face
Running to show the humanity behind every blanket - the story behind the 16:15 Charity Run
Kevin Sinfield - Running in the name of Rob Burrow
Former Leeds Rhinos star Kevin Sinfield has become one of the best known names in the world of charity runners.
When his former teammate Rob Burrow was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2019, Kevin decided to run seven marathons in as many days.
He raised more than £2m for the MND Association in the process, but that was only the start of his fundraising efforts.
In October 2021, he ran the around 101 mile distance between Leicester Tigers’ Welford Road Stadium and his former Rhinos’ home ground in Headingley in less than 24 hours - again raising in excess of £2m for the charity.
A third fundraiser, consisting of seven ultra marathons in as many days brought in a similar amount for the MND Association, Leeds Hospitals Charity, The Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and MND Scotland.
Speaking about his fundraising, he has said: “MND is not incurable it has just been underfunded and I have belief that by raising funds we can give the scientists and researchers the best possible opportunity to find that cure.”
Gary Shaughnessy - Running for Parkinson’s UK
Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2015, Gary Shaughnessy has raised almost £100,000 for the charity, beaten his marathon PB and completed the world's hardest triathlon.
When he discovered he had the condition, Gary feared his sporting days were over but the reality has been phenomenally different.
His achievements include completing the Arch to Arc triathlon, dubbed the ‘hardest in the world’.
Running from London’s Marble Arch to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, it traditionally consists of running 87 miles from London to Dover, swimming the English Channel and then cycling the remaining 181 miles to Paris.
Gary - who somewhat self-deprecatingly told Running Tales his swimming ability is “pathetic” - opted to row the Channel rather than swim it.
His other achievements include setting a world record for the further distance run three-legged and completing a host of marathons.
Gary Shaughnessy is taking on a host of challenges in 2023, including running three marathons.
You can sponsor him here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gary-shaughnessy2
Speaking to the Running Tales Podcast in March this year, Gary - who has also taken on a role as Parkinson UK’s Chair of the Board of Trustees - said: “The evidence is sport and physical activity is really good for Parkinson’s. It is one of the few things that helps slow the condition down.
“I did my best marathon time in Berlin last September.
“I may need to make sure I take my pills at the right time and my sleep is appalling, as is the case with a lot of people with Parkinson’s, but it’s not stopped me doing the running that I love and each year doing something more and more demanding.”
Gabriella Bailey, who is the Associate Director of Engagement & Fundraising at Parkinson's UK, told Running Tales that running events are one of the most ways people fundraise for the charity.
She said: “From running your first 10k, to pushing for a personal best, there's a running event out there for everyone. Many of our fantastic runners take part in organised running events, such as epic marathons and ultra-marathons, and some organise their own challenge to better suit their needs.
"Running is a fantastic way to help raise vital funds for Parkinson's UK and keep active. All you need is a pair of running shoes, and off you go. Running can make you feel good inside and out, maintain your health, and lift your mood. And if you have Parkinson’s, it can help manage your symptoms.
"Parkinson’s affects about 145,000 people across the UK and Parkinson’s UK needs donations to fund both the vital research that will develop new treatments and the support services we offer for everyone living with Parkinson’s, their families, friends and carers.
“Our work wouldn't be possible without the support from our fantastic supporters, and that includes our runners. So many of our amazing runners take on these challenges because they say that Parkinson's UK is a case close to their heart, some may live with Parkinson's, and others may have loved ones who are living with the condition.”
She said the charity had more than 200 runners taking place in the London Marathon, with the hope that £35,000 would be raised “to help fund research into the most promising treatments, taking us closer to a cure”.
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