Rowan Runs Virtual Half Marathon as Real Thing is Postponed
Coningham Ward councillor raises hundreds for Upper Room charity
Cllr Rowan Ree
Shepherd’s Bush Councillor Rowan Ree has raised hundreds of pounds in sponsorship for local charity The Upper Room after agreeing to take part in the Richmond RUNFEST half marathon.
The half marathon was due to take place yesterday, Sunday September 11, but was postponed at the last minute as a mark of respect following the death of The Queen.
Undaunted, Rowan decided to do a ‘virtual’ half marathon - a 13 mile run - tracking his progress with running app Strava - and succeeded in beating his own target time.
Rowan, who is Labour Councillor for Coningham Ward, set up a localgiving page after agreeing “in a moment of madness” to take part in the half marathon.
On the page, he said: “ On 11 September 2022, I will be running the Richmond Half Marathon to raise money for the fantastic Upper Room charity.
“I've never done anything like this before, but the Upper Room is a great charity and September seemed like a long time away when I agreed!
“The Upper Room is based out of St Saviours Church, at Wendell Park, and provides some amazing support to those in need in the community, including:
- Hot meals every weekday to anyone who needs them
- A free multilingual job advice service to help homeless people find work
- Driving lessons for people with criminal convictions, improving their employment chances and reducing the risk of reoffending; and
- Counselling services for those struggling with their mental health.
“As you can see, this is a very good cause. Any donation you can make would be gratefully received. “
Yesterday, Rowan updated his followers on Twitter, saying @RowanRee: “ Sadly, the @RichmondRunFest half marathon which was due to take place today has been postponed.
“Not wanting to let down everyone who has generously donated to @UpperRoomOrg I decided to run the half marathon ‘virtually’ (with no pacers, water stops & in some places, no paths).
“ Pleased to have beaten my target time of 2 hours (frankly, pleased to have finished at all), but more importantly to have raised over £1,000 for a great cause.
“Thank you to everyone who has sponsored & supported me.”
To date Rowan’s heroic effort has raised £1,185 - 119% of his original aim- and the fundraising page will be accepting donations for another 44 days. Supporters can add their donations by clicking here.
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September 12, 2022