Atom42 go from marketing to marathons
Here at atom, we love taking on the odd challenge or two. We’re encouraged to push ourselves to the next level, learn new skills and be willing to take a step outside of our comfort zone once in a while. However, I never really knew how large of a step I’d ever take out of mine – and safe to say I’ve taken an absolute leap!
Myself, Rich and Josh are taking on the gruelling London Marathon for the first time! Not only that, but we’ve never even ran the distance of a marathon before. What made us fools agree to such a horrific challenge?
Simple answer really – we’re raising money for one of our clients, Children with Cancer UK. This incredible charity is dedicated to fund vital research so that one day every child will survive cancer. So, the more money we raise, the closer they are to finding treatments and cures – how could we say no?
So now the training and fundraising has begun and safe to say we are all full of emotions. We’ve so far had wine tasting, pub quiz, and run a marathon bar every Thursday and Friday, with all the proceeds going to Children with Cancer UK.
No doubt that the dreaded marathon day will come along faster than we hoped for, and when that day comes, we know the rest of our atom42 family will be there cheering us on – especially as the route literally goes past our office!
So, for a little bit about us…
LIZZY NEAL
Have you ever ran a marathon before?
Nope – and I swore I never would run one!
What’s the furthest you’ve run?
I ran my first half marathon which was the Great North Run in Newcastle in September 2019, and it was much much harder than I expected! So this should be fun…
What made you want to run the London marathon?
I absolutely loved raising money for my charity for the Great North Run, and as Children with Cancer is one of our loved clients, it just felt right to raise as much money as possible whilst conquering a huge challenge for myself!
What are you most scared about?
Worried that I won’t dedicate enough time on weekends to endure longer runs or picking up an injury in the training or in the race itself!
What are you most excited about?
The feeling you get after you finish! If it’s anything like the feeling after the half marathon, it’s incredible and extremely addictive! I’m also pretty excited to feel and see myself getting fitter throughout the training.
Any tips you’ve picked up whilst training?
You’ll do great runs and you’ll do bad runs – a LOT of bad runs. So, the main thing is to try not to get too disheartened when you do have those bad runs. It’s just part of the training and you’ll get better and better!
Favourite running route in London?
Not sure if I have a favourite, as I like to run different routes, so I don’t get bored! But I tend to go around Clapham Common at weekends.
Fancy sponsoring Lizzy’s marathon efforts? You can make a donation to Children With Cancer here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LizzyNeal
JOSHUA PANTER
Have you ever ran a marathon before?
No!
What’s the furthest you’ve run?
I’ve never run more than about 10.5km and that was a few years ago, so it’s been back to basics for me, so not very far at all considering I’m now training for nearly 4x that distance!
What made you want to run the London marathon?
Partly because of the charity of choice Children with Cancer, but also because it’s such an inspiring and iconic marathon. Living in London it’s hard not to get sucked into the atmosphere around the city on the day, and I can’t wait to be a part of that next year.
What are you most scared about?
Getting injured close enough to the race that I can’t run, or injured during that means I can’t finish it! There’s a bit of overall fear there, but I’m much more excited than scared!
What are you most excited about?
Finishing it! It’ll probably also be the weirdest moment as it’ll all be over after months of training, but I’m really excited to experience the atmosphere and hopefully be cheered on by lots of people!
Any tips you’ve picked up whilst training?
I think consistency is probably going to be key. Ensuring I’m running regularly and building the habit and distance over time. That feels like the best way to avoid injury.
Favourite running route in London?
I used to really enjoy running around Regent’s Park, but more frequently now run along the river, which offers some nice sightseeing and a small taste of what to expect come April 26th!
Fancy sponsoring Josh’s marathon efforts? You can make a donation to Children With Cancer here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JoshuaPanter
