When should I apply for a charity place? - Spring Marathon

LiveYourDreamLifeToday

01/11/2006 at 22:46

This is my first attempt to get into the London Marathon.
The ballot results don't come out till the 1st December.
I have just been reading the charity adverts in Runner's World December edition and a lot are suggesting people apply now.
Also a lot of the talk on the forums are about applying for charity places.

I thought I had to see if I got into the ballot, and then apply to the charities.

Do I apply, can I apply now, or do I wait till after the 1st December?

Can I have your advice please?

Damian.

Welsh Alex

01/11/2006 at 22:53

Has your cheque been cashed yet ? If not there is only a small chance you have a place and odds-on you have not.

try

www.crunch.org.uk

Many charities will let you sign up now, the deal being that you raise the target if you have a golden bond place, or whatever you can manage if not.

Plodding Hippo

01/11/2006 at 22:54

I applied in august

get on with it

LiveYourDreamLifeToday

01/11/2006 at 23:06

I bequethed my entry fee, so won't that be cashed anyway.

I really want to run for St Ann's Hospice, and they told me to apply for one of their places if I did not get through the ballot.

I would love to run for them, but would run for any charity rather than risk missing a place in the London Marathon.

Running for a charity other than St Ann's would feel like prostituting myself, but I would do it to be in.

OK, typing this is helping my thinking. So...

Do I prostitute myself now, to ensure I get in?
Or do I wait and remain faithful, and risk the chance of being out?

So give me your answers... should I Prostitute, or Stay Faithful?

Damian.

Plodding Hippo

01/11/2006 at 23:13

Damian
"prostitute" uis a strong word
if you fell like that, stick to rpinciples and do another marathon
I assume st Anns doesnt do Gold Bond places

fi fi

01/11/2006 at 23:19

Thanks for the link Welsh Alex,i have just applied for a place.

fi fi

01/11/2006 at 23:22

Damien,couldn't you raise money for two charities?
Anything over the expected ammount for the charity you run for can go to St.ann's hospice.Then everyone is happy:-)

LiveYourDreamLifeToday

01/11/2006 at 23:32

Some good advice... esp two charities.
St Ann's does have some gold bond places, but I can't apply till 1st December, and I don't know how many they have.

I feel like I am getting left behind!

Damian.

carovet

02/11/2006 at 09:43

I applied for a gold bond place with Breast Cancer Care yesterday, assuming I hadn't made it in through the ballot. If by some miracle I have and I get a gold bond place I can always run for charity this year and defer my ballot place till next year - assuming once isn't enough! Only time will tell.......

Swerve

02/11/2006 at 09:56

Will you mention to your potential sponsors that you don't care about the charity you're raising money for, and that they're just buying a place in the marathon for you?

LiveYourDreamLifeToday

02/11/2006 at 13:12

Swerve, I'd tell them anything to get in.
Damian.

SoVeryTired

02/11/2006 at 13:28

This is why I'd never go down the golden bond route - I couldn't ask people to give money to a charity I couldn't care less about just so I could run a race.

If you want to raise money for a charity, any marathon will do. I raised £1,250 running the Cardiff marathon for a charity close to my heart. It's because it's a charity I care about that I could quite happily go and ask friends, family, colleagues and other forumites for money.

Now, when someone asks me for sponsorship for FLM, I try and work out whether they could actually care less about the charity. If not, then they're not getting a penny from me and can make up the shortfall themselves.

It may sound harsh, but that's how I feel about it.

AIegna

02/11/2006 at 15:34

Welsh Alex, thanks for the link - I emailed an application this morning and this afternoon I've been offered a Golden Bond place.

I'm so excited!!

Thanks again!

beatty

02/11/2006 at 17:13

Golden Bond places?? How do I find out about those??

Slugsta

02/11/2006 at 17:21

I took a golden bond place this year and was told that I could not raise money for a 2nd charity - had to sign a form agreeing to that, amongst other things.

Beatty - click on the link to 'Crunch' in wlesh alex's post above.

AIegna

02/11/2006 at 19:28

Beatty, they're guaranteed entry places for the FLM - but the cost is that you pledge to raise a minimum amount of money for whichever charity you choose (and of course they choose you!) seems to range from £1100 upwards.......use the www.CRunCH.org.uk link in Welsh Alex's e-mail above (I'm computer illiterate and dont know how to give you the link myself!!)

AIegna

02/11/2006 at 19:32

Plodding Hippo, you're a bit RC aren't you? If they want to run and raise money for a charity/any charity good on 'em I say!

M...eldy

pirate

02/11/2006 at 19:40

I dont think RC is a word to describe Hipps

I dont think that to run for any charity that will give someone the place just to run London is personally the best reason behind it, but each to their own.
I am with the others, if and when I get into London I may collect some charity money for a charity that is close to me BUT if there were a charity that meant that much to me then I could run any marathon and raise money for them.

GM.I

02/11/2006 at 20:04

SVT,

I know what you are saying and agree with you in principal.

The other side of the coin being 'my charity' is asking for £2.5k as it's a major one. I've done 2 big charity events for them, raising over £1k. However, I know I can't raise £2.5k but could raise some other the other figures quoted.

So should I take a place knowing I can raise the cash or make up a shortfall of >£1k myself. If all charities said £x amount, then we could all run fopr the charity we want to :-)

M...eldy

pirate

02/11/2006 at 20:06

wait and see if you get into the ballot and if you dont then raise the money doing an alternative marathon?