London Marathon
A high quality course, an inspiring and interesting route and an exhilarating atmosphere.
Virgin London Marathon – 22 April 2012
About
Breast Cancer Care and The Prostate Cancer Charity are excited to have been chosen as joint official charities for the 2012 Virgin London Marathon.
This will be the first time we've joined forces to help support people affected by prostate or breast cancer; the most common cancers in men and women in the UK.
TeamPB
TeamPB is the national running team created for this project. The partnership is very important to both organisations.
Part of the funds raised by TeamPB will be used to provide new ways of helping people get physically active after treatment to improve their wellbeing and help reduce the chance of the cancer coming back.
Our goal is to recruit the biggest team to date, with a shared common cause, and to raise more than £1 million helping to change the lives of people affected by prostate and breast cancer. Our runners will receive top tips, exclusive training days and a host of great incentives along the way.
Join our team
We have an incredibly exciting programme planned to make our year as the Virgin London Marathon's Joint Official Charity one to remember. In return for you running we will support you with:
- a running vest
- an invitation to our specialist marathon training sessions
- support from professional sporting mentors and our sport science experts
- a welcome pack full of advice and support
- a post-race reception for you and your supporters
- complimentary sports massage and a goody bag.
The 2012 Virgin London Marathon public ballot has now closed and the deadline for our charity Golden Bond places as passed. If you would like to register your interest for the 2013 London Marathon please email duncan.mcdermid@breastcancercare.org.uk or call 08450 920 804.
If you’ve been lucky enough to gain your own place, we would love you to join TeamPB. We don’t set a minimum sponsorship target, we just ask you raise as much as you can. To join our team please email run@teampb.org.uk or call 0845 200 2773 with:
- your name
- address
- telephone number
- how you heard about Breast Cancer Care
- running vest size.
Once you are signed up we will send you a welcome pack.
If you would like to solely fundraise for Breast Cancer Care please email sporting@breastcancercare.org.uk or call 0845 092 0804
Training tips
Training is essential to your Virgin London Marathon preparation. The more you put in, the more enjoyable your experience will be. We have designed a marathon training plan for both beginners and intermediate runners to help you on your way.
Our week by week training plan specifies how far and how often you should run. It also tells you when to rest in order to get the most out of your training. We suggest you should start your preparations 16 weeks before the race. The increase in mileage in our training plan is designed to help you improve your fitness level for the big day.
Use our stretching guide to help you fully prepare for yourself for your training sessions and on race day.
Don’t forget to keep visiting your events page to get the most up-to-date advice.
Fundraising
Reaching your fundraising target can be a challenge, but don’t worry as we have some useful tips to help you plan and coordinate your fundraising.
Check out our seasonal fundraising ideas to ensure that your fundraising is fresh and on trend.
All sponsorship should be collected and returned to Breast Cancer Care by Monday 22 July 2012.
Social networks
Remember, it’s your network of friends, family, colleagues and contacts who will support you with your training and fundraising. Keep them updated every step of the way with your Facebook profile, blog or Twitter account.
Tell them how your training is going (with pictures for added impact) and let them know how you’re getting on with your fundraising target. You can even upload pictures on the day to show everyone your progress along the route! If you follow Breast Cancer Care on Facebook and Twitter, we’ll keep you up to date with the goings-on here, and keep you on track with support and tips.
Fundraising materials
Download your very own fundraising planner to follow to ensure that your fundraising activities run as smoothly as possible.
Use this downloadable poster to promote your fundraising events.
Online fundraising
Now you can raise sponsorship without all the hassle. No more dealing with cash and cheques, no more chasing friends after the event. Simply create a free, online fundraising page, personalise it with a photo and message, and email it to your friends, family and work colleagues. They can donate quickly and securely online with a credit or debit card. Online donations from UK taxpayers are worth almost a third more to us with Gift Aid, which can be claimed on online donations. Follow the instructions to set up your unique JustGiving page or Virgin Money Giving page.
Once you’ve created your page, email the link to friends, family, colleagues and classmates. You can even add the JustGiving application or Virgin Money Giving page to your Facebook page to make it even easier for your friends to donate.
For more information or help setting up your page, visit www.justgiving.com or www.virginmoneygiving.com.
Please note: Money will only be attributed to the person who set up the online fundraising or Virgin Money Giving page, so please do not set up joint pages as we are unable to share the money between several people.
How do I pay in my sponsorship?
There are few ways in which your sponsorship money will reach us:
JustGiving
If you have decided to create a Justgiving fundraising page, then you do not need to do anything as all your sponsorship money will automatically be sent directly to our bank account. Please note that it can take up to four weeks to show up on your fundraising record at Breast Cancer Care.
Cheque
Please send all cheques to the address below:
Breast Cancer Care Events
Admail 4161
London
SE1 0ZB
Don’t forget to write your name, Breast Cancer Care number and event name on the back of your cheques.
Online
You can also pay money in directly on the Breast Cancer Care website. If you use our online paying in function then please remember to send us your sponsorship forms so that we can claim Gift Aid.
Enclosed in your welcome pack, which you will receive when you register for your event, will be your pay-in forms. You can send them to us along with your sponsorship money and sponsorship forms. Please do not send cash in the post.
Once you join Team Breast Cancer Care we will provide you with further fundraising tips and ideas!
Race day
To make sure that you are fully prepared for the Virgin London Marathon, we have put together some key information to ensure your day runs as smoothly as possible.
Get a head start and take a look at the 2011 Virgin London Marathon interactive course map.
We will be hosting a post-race event for all our runners and their family and friends. There will be masseurs to massage those aching legs and refreshments to refuel your muscles. You will also be able to pick up your goody bags and other special treats!
Public transport
Many roads are closed on race day, so the best way to get around is using the London Underground, South Eastern and Docklands Light Railway (DLR), who lay on extra services especially. Remember, the trains will be busy all day – expect it to be like rush hour. You’ll probably have to queue at some stations and the tube lines may be forced to shut temporarily throughout the day to help ease the crowds.
Start line
You’ll receive your kit bag and sticker from the London Marathon to leave your belongings at the start of the course - please make sure you attach the sticker to the kit bag before handing to the baggage trucks. You’ll be able to drop your kit bag off at the baggage trucks at the start of the race. It will be announced on the loud speaker when it’s time to do this, and the trucks will be numbered so you’ll know which one to go to. Please note the trucks will only accept official kit bags with the sticker attached.
The trucks will be driven to the finish line so you can collect your belongings quickly and easily at the end of the race. You’ll need to show your runner number to collect your bag.
Cheering points
Breast Cancer Care will have our very own cheering points to keep your spirits high. You will not be able to miss the loud screams and words of encouragement from the team in pink! Exact locations will be confirmed nearer to the event. Hydration/nutrition
Lucozade (energy drink) stations will be located at the start, 4 ½, 10, 15, 19 and 24 mile points. There are also a number of water stations along the route.
Please continue to check this page for details of the 2012 event. For more information please visit the London Marathon website.
FAQs
How do I sign up?
What is the minimum fundraising total I have to raise?
Will I receive a vest to wear on the day?
When will my welcome pack arrive?
What happens on the day?
Can I collect sponsorship online?
How do I pay in my sponsorship?
How do I withdraw from the event?
All other questions
Answers
Please visit our 'Join our team' section for information how to sign up.
What is the minimum fundraising total I have to raise?
If you have your own place in the race then there is no minimum sponsorship target – we just ask that you try and raise as much as you can.
If you have one of our Gold Bond guaranteed places then we ask that you pledge to raise a minimum of £1,500 in sponsorship.
Will I receive a vest to wear on the day?
Yes. We will send you a state of the art running vest to you in the post about a month before race day. Please remember to specify which vest size you would like when confirming your place.
When will my welcome pack arrive?
We will send out your welcome pack in the post within two weeks of you signing up to join our team. While you wait for the pack to arrive, please click on the Fundraising tab (above) for some great hints and tips to get you started.
Please visit the Race day tab for all the details about what to expect on race day.
Can I collect sponsorship online?
Yes. We recommend you sign up to Virgin Money Giving and follow their easy step-by-step guide to create your own online fundraising page. All money raised through your page will be automatically sent through to us and allocated to your record.
How do I pay in my sponsorship?
The easiest way to pay in your money online. Please note that if you choose to pay your money online via our website we will only be able to claim for Gift Aid if you send us the relevant sponsorship forms. You can also send cheques in the post to:
Breast Cancer Care Events
Admail 4161
London SE1 0ZB
Don’t forget to write your name, Breast Cancer Care number and Event name on the back of your cheques.
How do I withdraw from the event?
If you have a guaranteed charity place - to withdraw from the event, please notify us by calling 0845 092 0804 before 17 April.
If you have an your own place - follow the instructions on the London Marathon website on how to withdraw from the event. You must complete the necessary withdraw form.
For all other questions or queries on the event, please see the London Marathon website, email sporting@breastcancercare.org.uk or call 0845 092 0804.
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