In November last year, five members of the InDigital team sat around a table in the office, trying to decide what would one-up a half marathon if they entered a sporting event as a team. They may have gone slightly too far…
The team wanted to compete in an organised running event as a group, but which one? A marathon felt like too big an ask, and most of them were already fairly comfortable running a half marathon. They wanted to do something truly unique and challenging, something that would also allow them to raise money for a worthy cause. What followed was five months of early alarms, long runs squeezed around work, and a group chat keeping everyone accountable and honest. By the time April came around, they were as ready as they were ever going to be.
The challenge they landed on was an event called Run2Paris, which is exactly what it sounds like. Between the five team members - Kate, Cara, Tom, Harry and Ama - the team would run a combined 220 miles in a relay format, starting in Wimbledon and ending four days later under the Eiffel Tower. The route's terrain would be mixed, touching tarmac, fields, forests and the steepest of hills. They also knew they could hardly prepare for how their bodies would feel each morning, after spending every day prior having run up to 27k at a time, before sleeping in a tent in the middle of the French countryside. But nonetheless, they were ready and excited to take on the challenge, no matter how many blisters it would involve getting. What made the event even more special was that the route led straight to InDigital's French office, with Paris colleagues waiting on the other side of the Channel, a Parisian lunch reservation at the ready on the bank holiday Monday.
Run2Paris was in part organised to help raise money for Parkinson's UK, a cause that urgently needs greater awareness, funding, and support. Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition with no cure, and the charity leads in supporting the 166,000 people in the UK living with the condition, with someone new being diagnosed every 20 minutes.
On the evening of Wednesday 29th March, Cara and Ama set off from the office to Old Wimbledonians Rugby Club in Wimbledon to receive the essential event briefing. They came away with a folder full of essential documents, numbered bibs, emergency contact numbers, two tracking devices, and more information than they could possibly retain before waking at 4am the next morning to meet their three fellow InDigital runners, ready for the first wave of participants to set off at 6am the next morning for the official first day of the run.
It soon came around, and the team were back at the starting line, the vibes were high despite the collective lack of sleep. In Digital’s ‘Business As Unusual’ were one of 25 groups taking part, and it was great to start meeting fellow athletes over croissants and coffees. Despite the palpable anxiety and the occasional thought of "what on earth have we signed up for?", the overwhelming feeling was one of excitement, and the team had to reassure themselves theywe had signed up for a challenge that felt genuinely scary but one which would give an and we knew immsense the sense of accomplishment come the final day.
On the first day of the adventure, Cara set off first, running 20k from the start line to Happy Valley. Ama then ran the furthest distance of her life, a cool 28k from the checkpoint down to Copthorne, before Tom, Kate and Harry closed out the day with legs from Copthorne to the port at Newhaven, where the team boarded the overnight ferry to France. Running through the British countryside was, despite the distances, a genuinely beautiful experience, one none of them had anticipated. Once Kate, our final runner of the day, had completed her miles, the team celebrated with a well-deserved chippy and a luxurious five hours' sleep on the ferry floor.
Day two was the day everyone had been looking forward to most; arrival in France. And not only that, but day two featured the shortest legs of the entire event. No participant ran further than 13k, and it felt like a true treat. Blue skies, beautiful French châteaux, and, once the final runner crossed the finish point at 1pm, an afternoon of sunbathing and burgers with fellow runners at the basecamp. Unanimously, their favourite day.
The final two days were tough, with each of the team running up to 26k per day. But by the end of day three, something came into view on the horizon: the Eiffel Tower. The end was close, and the team knew they could push through the fatigue to finish what they'd started. On Sunday afternoon, they crossed the finish line together as a five and treated themselves to a well-deserved glass of prosecco and a night of celebrations with their fellow runners. The sense of achievement was enormous.
Between them, team BAU raised a staggering £4,200 for Parkinson's UK, and every penny of it came from the generosity of colleagues, clients, friends and family who got behind them. So, from all of us at InDigital: thank you. The blisters have healed, but the memories definitely haven't. And if you're reading this thinking "I could never do that" four months ago, our team thought the exact same.
Feeling inspired? The team couldn't recommend Run2Paris more! Check them out here https://www.run2events.com/run2paris
