In October 2019 Megan\u202fHunt; a Team Leader for the Course Enquiry Unit at the University,\u202freceived a London Marathon place on her first ballot attempt as a non-runner.\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
It was only after entering the ballot back in April 2019, that Megan thought it might just be a good idea to learn\u00a0how\u00a0to run\u2026<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Megan enrolled on a Couch to 5k programme and started on her running\u202fjourney.\u202fShe had been preparing to run the marathon on April 26th<\/sup>\u202fbefore it was postponed until October,\u202fbut\u202fwith the global situation still uncertain, race organisers chose to opt for a safer virtual option, with runners taking on their own courses across the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, this being Megan\u2019s first marathon event, she chose to do things slightly differently \u2013 instead saving her marathon victory for when she\u2019s able to\u202frun the full distance\u202fon the infamous circuit\u202fin a proper race setting.\u202f\u201cas the situation continued not to improve, I decided against just running virtually, as I have never done a marathon before and I wanted my first one to be run in London\u202fas a real race with other people.\u201d\u202fShe said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With\u202fthe\u202fLondon Marathon off the table, Megan decided to set herself a new challenge to mark what would have been both her first marathon attempt and the one-year anniversary of her newfound love of running…<\/strong> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
She\u202fdedicated herself to covering the marathon distance over 7 days, from Monday 28th<\/sup>\u202fSeptember. Running 6 kilometres every day except Sunday, where she finished with her final 7 kilometres. As part of Megan\u2019s reimagining of the Marathon, she invited the University\u2019s running club, The Christ Church Runners to finish the race with her. \u201cThe Christ Church Runners have supported each other throughout lockdown to keep active and motivated and they have supported my running journey for the last 12 months\u201d.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following Megan\u2019s last run on Sunday with the Christ Church Runners to complete her\u202fmarathon\u202fdistance, she\u202fcommented that\u202f\u201cAfter all the\u202flong-distance\u202ftraining up to a half Marathon in March,\u202fit\u2019s\u202fbeen nice to try a different challenge and run a set distance every day. It helped me to feel strong and I’m looking forward to getting back on a marathon plan at some point! Running has hugely helped me during lockdown in terms of having space to relax and get away from the confines of my house.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each\u202fyear\u202fthe London Marathon\u202fraises millions of pounds, with charities relying on this crucial funding. Megan has chosen to support a charity incredibly important to her, with her staccato marathon event. \u201cI am continuing to raise money for The Alzheimer\u2019s Society, my chosen marathon charity as its close to my heart as my Nan was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia shortly after I was accepted into the marathon\u201d.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n