Sophie's page - running my first Marathon and raising money for Sports Aid
Sophie Cox
My Story
Here we go! At 42 years old I've decided to attept my first 42.2km and at the same time I am raising funds to support SportsAid. The charity’s mission is to encourage, enable and empower the next generation of British athletes to achieve their ambitions in sport and life!
As a former Team GB athlete myself, and now as England Talent Manager for GB climbing, I understand the realities of what it takes to get to the top, and every little helps. For the next few months I am going to be training (btw not a big running fan!) and campaigning to raise funds so would love your support. Anything over the £2000 target will go to other charities close to my heart.
Read on for more information about SportsAid:
Over 1,000 talented young sports stars - the vast majority aged 12 to 18 - are nominated to SportsAid each year to receive financial support and a range of personal development opportunities. These athletes are the country’s brightest prospects having been selected and put forward to the charity by the national governing bodies of more than 60 sports. The support they receive from SportsAid acts as a real motivational boost as it is often the first recognition they are given outside of their support network. Most of the athletes also rely heavily on their parents as they have no other funding.
The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000 and the charity works hard every year to try and ensure each nominated athlete is given the support they deserve. This includes workshop sessions, both online and in-person, where athletes are offered mentoring by Olympians and Paralympians, as well as gaining advice from industry experts on performance lifestyle management, mental wellbeing, practical nutrition, restful sleep and telling your story through the media to help with their profile and further sponsorship. Fundraising is absolutely pivotal to achieving this and your support will make a direct impact!
The money you donate to SportsAid is able to help athletes in many different ways - no matter how big or small the amount you decide upon!
£5 will help one of Britain's best young athletes get to their next training session
£15 will help a young footballer purchase new shinpads
£25 will help a young gymnast pay for a pair of wrist supports
£50 will help a young kayaker replace a damaged helmet
£100 will help a young judoka visit a physio for rehabilitation from an injury
£250 will help a young swimmer pay for accommodation for a weekend training camp
£500 will help a young boxer travel to their next major international competition
£1,000 will provide a full year's worth of support for a SportsAid athlete
Since 1976, SportsAid has supported tens of thousands of athletes by distributing over £50 million in awards. The charity's extensive alumni stretches across the generations with Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Sir Mo Farah, Baroness Grey-Thompson, Dame Sarah Storey, Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Katherine Grainger, Daley Thompson CBE, Dame Denise Lewis, Dame Laura Kenny, Ellie Simmonds OBE, Adam Peaty OBE, Natasha Baker OBE and Tom Daley OBE all stand-out names. SportsAid is incredibly proud to have Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales as the charity’s Patron since 2013.
SportsAid’s impressive track record was highlighted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games where the charity’s alumni won 141 medals. This included 47 of Team GB’s 65 medals (14 gold, 19 silver, 14 bronze) and 94 of ParalympicsGB’s 124 medals (26 gold, 33 silver and 35 bronze). SportsAid beneficiaries also recently had huge success at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games where they won 186 medals – 57 gold, 59 silver and 70 bronze – across 20 sports. There were 474 recipients of the charity’s support representing the home nations in the West Midlands.
The London Marathon has become an annual, inspiring and colourful fixture in the world’s sporting calendar since the inaugural race on 29 March 1981: a celebration of fun, fundraising and fancy dress.
Over the years more than a million people have completed the 26.2-mile course – which runs from Blackheath to The Mall, with a spectacular finish in front of Buckingham Palace, showcasing the very best that the capital city has to offer.
What’s more, these participants have raised over a billion pounds for charity and there have been countless amazing tales of human achievement throughout the event’s history – living up to its aim of helping participants ‘to have fun, and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world’.
Here we go! At 42 years old I've decided to attept my first 42.2km and at the same time I am raising funds to support SportsAid. The charity’s mission is to encourage, enable and empower the next generation of British athletes to achieve their ambitions in sport and life!
As a former Team GB athlete myself, and now as England Talent Manager for GB climbing, I understand the realities of what it takes to get to the top, and every little helps. For the next few months I am going to be training (btw not a big running fan!) and campaigning to raise funds so would love your support. Anything over the £2000 target will go to other charities close to my heart.
Read on for more information about SportsAid:
Over 1,000 talented young sports stars - the vast majority aged 12 to 18 - are nominated to SportsAid each year to receive financial support and a range of personal development opportunities. These athletes are the country’s brightest prospects having been selected and put forward to the charity by the national governing bodies of more than 60 sports. The support they receive from SportsAid acts as a real motivational boost as it is often the first recognition they are given outside of their support network. Most of the athletes also rely heavily on their parents as they have no other funding.
The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000 and the charity works hard every year to try and ensure each nominated athlete is given the support they deserve. This includes workshop sessions, both online and in-person, where athletes are offered mentoring by Olympians and Paralympians, as well as gaining advice from industry experts on performance lifestyle management, mental wellbeing, practical nutrition, restful sleep and telling your story through the media to help with their profile and further sponsorship. Fundraising is absolutely pivotal to achieving this and your support will make a direct impact!
The money you donate to SportsAid is able to help athletes in many different ways - no matter how big or small the amount you decide upon!
£5 will help one of Britain's best young athletes get to their next training session
£15 will help a young footballer purchase new shinpads
£25 will help a young gymnast pay for a pair of wrist supports
£50 will help a young kayaker replace a damaged helmet
£100 will help a young judoka visit a physio for rehabilitation from an injury
£250 will help a young swimmer pay for accommodation for a weekend training camp
£500 will help a young boxer travel to their next major international competition
£1,000 will provide a full year's worth of support for a SportsAid athlete
Since 1976, SportsAid has supported tens of thousands of athletes by distributing over £50 million in awards. The charity's extensive alumni stretches across the generations with Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Sir Mo Farah, Baroness Grey-Thompson, Dame Sarah Storey, Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Katherine Grainger, Daley Thompson CBE, Dame Denise Lewis, Dame Laura Kenny, Ellie Simmonds OBE, Adam Peaty OBE, Natasha Baker OBE and Tom Daley OBE all stand-out names. SportsAid is incredibly proud to have Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales as the charity’s Patron since 2013.
SportsAid’s impressive track record was highlighted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games where the charity’s alumni won 141 medals. This included 47 of Team GB’s 65 medals (14 gold, 19 silver, 14 bronze) and 94 of ParalympicsGB’s 124 medals (26 gold, 33 silver and 35 bronze). SportsAid beneficiaries also recently had huge success at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games where they won 186 medals – 57 gold, 59 silver and 70 bronze – across 20 sports. There were 474 recipients of the charity’s support representing the home nations in the West Midlands.
The London Marathon has become an annual, inspiring and colourful fixture in the world’s sporting calendar since the inaugural race on 29 March 1981: a celebration of fun, fundraising and fancy dress.
Over the years more than a million people have completed the 26.2-mile course – which runs from Blackheath to The Mall, with a spectacular finish in front of Buckingham Palace, showcasing the very best that the capital city has to offer.
What’s more, these participants have raised over a billion pounds for charity and there have been countless amazing tales of human achievement throughout the event’s history – living up to its aim of helping participants ‘to have fun, and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world’.
