Three senior staff from Advance Training & Recruitment Services successfully completed the London Marathon last month, together raising just under £10,000 for children’s charities Railway Children and Action for Children.
Operations Director Paul Merton, Managing Director Andy Ridout and Signalling Division Manager Sam Jennings each completed the 26.2-mile run following months of intensive training and preparation.
The guys joined around 38,000 other runners including Dame Kelly Holmes MBE and Top Gear’s Chris Evans at the marathon’s starting point on the 24th of April. The famous route sends runners-up to Woolwich and along the River Thames before circling the Isle of Dogs, looping back towards Westminster where the final stretch culminates at St James Park.
Managing Director, Andy Ridout ran in aid of Railway Children, the international children’s charity that aims to change the lives of children living on the streets of the UK, India and East Africa. Raising more than £6,400, Andy adds to an already impressive fundraising total, having raised money for the charity since 2011.
Paul and Sam both ran in aid of Action for Children, a UK-based charity that operates a number of different services for children and their families, ranging from intensive family support to fostering and adoption. Combined, the two raised more than £3,000 for Action for Children, an outstanding achievement.
Signalling recruiter Sam completed the marathon with the fastest time, clocking in at just under 4 hours. His incredible journey started last year when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a game of Sunday football. After months of tireless recovery, Sam began training again and set a target to enter and complete the London Marathon in 2016.
“Admittedly,” says Sam “entering the race was the easy part. The reality quickly came crashing down once I began training 5 days a week at 6 am in freezing weather. I was also struggling with constant niggling injuries that hampered my rehabilitation. It’s been a tough road to recovery to get to where I am now but it’s all been well worth it to raise money for a worthwhile cause.”
“Together, we can all advance.”
