Leah O'Donovan

I just want to run, damn it! A week ago I found out that I had not made it into the 2010 London Marathon by the ballot. I think I read that there were more than 100,000 people who entered the ballot and there are only around 30 or 40,000 places. Some are charity places so the actual number of places available by ballot may be even lower; therefore, the chances of getting in just by ballot were slim to none. I knew this when I entered but always hoped that maybe I’d get lucky.

When I got the news last week I immediately sprang into action and started applying and contacting a handful of charities that still have what are known as Gold Bond places available. I would be able to run in the marathon but I would have to raise money for the charity, anywhere from £1,450 to £2,000. A lot of people run the marathon this way. Many people do it because they want to raise money for the charity. I’m sure many others do it for the same reason as mine: didn’t get in through ballot but really want to run.

We think highly of charities but, at the end of the day, they are a business. To them, the most important thing is money. You become just a figure; how much can you raise? They will judge my applications based partly on why I want to run and on how much I can pledge to raise for them. I have been touched by breast cancer to an extent but it was not my best friend, it was my mother’s. I can say my father has asthma but it hasn’t caused him a lot of problems. My mother has arthritis but many people do. I don’t have enough of a sob story to stand out and I have put the minimum amount on each application as I believe I may struggle to find enough sponsors or ideas to raise money. I only raised £250.00 when I ran a 5k in the summer. I realise £250.00 is better than none but in this case if I don’t raise the minimum amount the charity might well give my place to another person, potentially after I have put in hours of training for the race and dashing my hopes of running the marathon.

Just yesterday I received an email from a charity I applied to after a colleague mentioned they were advertising for runners. I received a polite reply that since I could not pledge to raise £3,000 for them nor was I directly affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa I should try my luck elsewhere. Thanks for the application but no thanks. I was just slightly appalled and even more slightly worried that this was the first of many ‘rejections’. It’s like applying for a job all over again.

I’ll find out in a few weeks how I fare with the other charities. I can only hope that I am accepted by one and that this one is, perhaps (and as awful as it may sound), on the lower end of the fundraising scale. I think I can manage £1,500 if I really nag all of my friends and possibly even try to guilt-trip the Councillors with whom I work. It’s not something I will relish but if it allows me to run the marathon, by God, I’ll do it. Please keep your fingers and toes crossed for me and, if you’re of the persuasion, say a couple of prayers also that one of these charities will take me. Then, if I get lucky, please, please open up your pocketbook or wallet and donate to one of these worthy causes.