2020 Virgin Money London Marathon

[p]After committing and being inspired by - without much thinking - doing a 5k every day in January for REDJanuary 2020, I have got over the fear - 'can I raise the funds, can my body hold and can I actually run for 26.2m' - and finally decided to go for a bucket list item.[/p][p]As Ron Pickering believed, sport could enhance lives in more ways than just physical wellbeing. [/p][p][i]“Sport is the most precious commodity we have to hand on to the next generation” [/i]Ron Pickering OBE[/p][p]The success of the London Marathon fundraising effort will make a difference to a young, promising athlete somewhere in the UK, allowing them to help reach their full potential.[/p][p]Your donation might be supporting the next Dina Asher-Smith, Sir Mo Farah, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Laura Muir or Adam Gemili![/p][p]------------------------------------------------------------[/p][p]The [b]Ron Pickering Memorial Fund[/b] (RPMF) was set up following the untimely death of the great sporting commentator and coach in 1991.[/p][p]The RPMF funds and supports young aspiring athletes reach their true potential. The funds helps recipients make the difficult transition from junior to senior level through support for equipment, specialist coaching or travel and importantly helps build the athletes' confidence and self esteem through this recognition.[/p][p]The fund has raised and awarded over £2.0 million in small but significant grants to over 3,000 talented young British athletes, including all of the individual medallists in London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.[/p][p]At the IAAF 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, over 70% of Team GB benefited at some stage in their development from RPMF support.[/p][p]The success of the London Marathon fundraising effort has been directly reflected in the increasing number of young athletes RPMF have been able to support in recent years.[/p]