Hastings Half Marathon 2015 Information for Runners Pestalozzi International Village Trust Registered Charity 1098422 A Company limited by Guarantee 04797376 Incorporated in England & Wales Ladybird Lane, Sedlescombe, Battle, East Sussex, TN33 0UF T: 01424 870444 F: 01424 870655 W: www.pestalozzi.org.uk E: office@pestalozzi.org.uk Patron: HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO Pestalozzi Enterprises Limited VAT registration 202238611 Limited Company number 00890936 Incorporated in England & Wales Thank you! Thank you so much for choosing to run the Hastings Half Marathon for Pestalozzi! We have created this pack to try and answer as many questions as we can about Pestalozzi, the race itself and everything in-between. However, please do get in contact with us if you have any more questions, we would love to hear from you. Contents Pestalozzi and our mission The Hastings Half Marathon Pestalozzi and the Hastings Half Marathon Training advice Sponsorship ideas Next steps 1. Pestalozzi and our mission Our mission is to make a real and lasting difference by applying the Pestalozzi principles of educating the Head, Heart and Hands. Pestalozzi is a UK-based charity with more than 50 years’ experience of offering life-changing opportunities to young people from disadvantaged communities around the world. Pestalozzi awards scholarships to exceptional 16-19 year olds who are academically gifted but whose economic circumstances mean they have limited educational prospects in their home countries. Pestalozzi students live for two years in a multi-cultural, multi-faith community in East Sussex, UK, where they welcome difference and embrace diversity. They study at Sussex Coast College Hastings and undertake a broad range of extracurricular activities, gaining an holistic education focused on the Pestalozzi principles of educating the Head, Heart and Hands. Pestalozzi scholarships give these young people an opportunity they would not otherwise receive – the chance to develop their potential, pursue their ambitions and go on to make a real and lasting difference in the world. 2. The Hastings Half Marathon This year the 31st Hastings Half Marathon will be held on Sunday the 22nd of March 2015. The Hastings Half Marathon is organised by The Hastings Lions Club to raise funds for local charities and to promote the town of Hastings. Runners are encouraged to raise money for their own causes or local charities and the race has been cited by many runners as ideal preparation for the London Marathon. The event is run under UK Athletic Rules and is marshalled by the British Red Cross Support. The course circumnavigates the ancient town of Hastings, starting at the seafront and following the route of William the Conqueror towards Battle. It continues around the back of the town, down to the famous 'Old Town' and then comes back along the three mile seafront to end the race where you started. Course facts: The route has a total climb of 237 metres with an average climb rate of 18 metres per mile. The course is 13.1 miles but including the climb rate would amount to 14 miles on the flat. The fastest time the course has been run is 1:01:37. Taking the hills into consideration, an average pace of 10 minutes per mile would result in an average finish time of 2:20. The Hastings Half Marathon Course Race Review Name: Darren Maylam Position: Fundraising Officer for Pestalozzi Race: Hastings Half Marathon 2014 (first ever half marathon) Finish Time: 2:20 I made the decision to run the Hastings Half Marathon when I read about the Pestalozzi students running it in previous years. Their determination; not only to finish the race, but to overcome the many other challenges they have faced throughout their lives inspired me to face a challenge myself. I started training in January, although I should have probably started a little earlier. However, starting in January gave me enough time to build up my endurance and get my fitness to a level that was suitable for running the marathon. I found the actual race better than I was expecting! There were obviously times when it was really hard going but the crowds and co runners cheering you on really gave you bursts of energy and determination. The fruit jelly sweets may have helped a little as well! The hardest part of the course was Queensway, even though it wasn’t that steep it felt like it went on forever because of the length, however once this was defeated the rest of the race was easier to handle. The best part of the course was the last mile, despite it being probably the second hardest part of the course because energy levels were so low, having people cheering your name or the name of Pestalozzi made you feel like people were really behind you. Seeing my wife waiting for me, clapping and cheering as I crossed the finish line was an overwhelming sensation. Overall I would say that it was an amazing experience. The best part of the whole race was being part of a team raising money for the young people at Pestalozzi it made every training session, every blister and every aching muscle worth it and that is why I am running it again this year! 3. Running the Hastings Half Marathon for Pestalozzi We are thrilled that you would like to run the half marathon for Pestalozzi! Pestalozzi students have been running the half marathon for many years; however it is only recently that we have galvanised students, staff and volunteers into action together to make the Hastings Half Marathon a great fundraising effort in the Pestalozzi calendar. In 2014 we raised a fantastic £2,234.50 purely through sponsorship of staff and students. For 2015 we have set the target of raising £4835.00 £4835.00 is the yearly cost of educational course fees for one of our students. Pestalozzi students used to be exempt from these fees but due to a revision in government policy, that exemption was withdrawn and we now have to find an additional £200,000 per annum to cover these costs. We are determined to raise the funds needed for one of our students’ course fees and you can help us get there! Running the Hastings Half Marathon for Pestalozzi will be a rewarding and fun experience! Here are five top reasons to join our team: Pestalozzi will reimburse you for your entry fee and you will receive a certificate with the amount you have raised. We will support your fundraising efforts by providing you with promotional material and ideas. You will be directly contributing to a young person’s education. You will meet inspirational young people from all over the world. You will become more involved with a local charity that has a global impact. 4. Training advice Everyone starts at different fitness or experience levels and therefore it isn’t appropriate to recommend a training programme on a one size fits all basis. We have however scoured the internet to find some great training guides for beginner, intermediate and advanced runners, with all the information readily available, easy to understand and free! These can be found on the Bupa website, with http://www.bupa.co.uk/running/training/training-programmes/ a link here: Closer to the time of the race we will also be setting up a 2015 Hastings Half Marathon Pestalozzi Facebook group where we can discuss training questions and fundraising and sponsorship ideas. 5. Sponsorship advice We are asking each runner who enters the Hastings Half Marathon on behalf of Pestalozzi to personally fundraise a minimum of £100 for Pestalozzi (brilliant if you think you can raise more!). If this target is achieved by the 22nd April 2015 we will then refund you the cost of your entry fee (£27.00), as a thank you for your hard work and commitment. Unfortunately as a charity with restricted funds we are unable to pay upfront for each individual entry fee before we are sure we will achieve this money back in sponsorship. There are lots of ways that you can receive sponsorship for running the Hastings Half Marathon. The easiest and quickest way to do this is to set up a JustGiving account, so your friends and family from all over the world can sponsor your endeavour! This also means that we can then feature your fundraising alongside our efforts on our website and social media. Here are our top tips for securing sponsorship: 1. Set up a JustGiving page (make sure this is linked to Pestalozzi!) It really couldn’t be simpler: http://www.justgiving.com/en/fundraising 2. Set up a JustGiving textcode: http://www.justgiving.com/en/justtextgiving 3. Use the sponsorship form within this pack to ask people to sponsor you. Ask your family, friends, work colleagues, clients, neighbours etc. As long as you are friendly and believe in your cause then the people you approach will as well. 4. Make sure you explain how you are directly helping a student’s education and share Pestalozzi’s Facebook and website details wherever possible. 5. You could also use some other fundraising ideas to get the ball rolling, such as bringing cake into work and asking for a donation to your sponsorship in return, holding a ‘big night in’ instead of going out with your friends, or even by asking for donations in lieu of gifts for birthdays / Christmas / Valentine’s day. 6. The Next Steps Hopefully within this pack you have had your initial questions about the Hastings Half Marathon and Pestalozzi answered. If you would like to join our team in running for Pestalozzi the next steps are to: Email emilie.suggitt@pestalozzi.org.uk or ring 01424 871905 to register your interest and to ask any unanswered questions. We will then send you a Welcome Pack. Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PestalozziUK Start your personal training plan, the sooner the better! Start collecting your sponsorship, either through setting up a JustGiving page or by using the enclosed sponsorship form. Thank you! Thank you again for choosing to support Pestalozzi by running the Hastings Half Marathon! Pestalozzi receives no government funding and relies wholly on the generosity of individuals such as you. By fundraising for Pestalozzi your money will have a direct positive impact on an individual’s life. By investing in the education of an incredibly bright but economically disadvantaged young person you are giving them the opportunity to realise their potential, achieve their dreams and go on to make a difference to their home communities, countries and the wider world.
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