Following the cancellation of the official Royal Parks Half Marathon, 17 runners from Kingsley Napley (and friends) took matters into their own hands and participated in the inaugural KN Royal Parks run on Sunday 27 September in aid of Melanoma Focus.
Runners congregated at Hyde Park on a blustery Sunday morning for 10km and half marathon distanced runs. Other “KNers” volunteered their time to man water stations, hand out sweets on the course and provide support to their colleagues. Running ability ranged from first time racers to seasoned pros, with various PBs being broken amongst the group. The runners were rewarded with medals and the chance to catch up with colleagues ‘in real life’ for the first time in many months (in accordance with social distancing of course!).
The team raised over £7,000 for Melanoma Focus in support of a much loved colleague who is currently suffering from the condition. Melanoma Focus is a charity which provides information, supports education and promotes education about melanoma, the UK’s most rapidly-increasing type of cancer. We are very happy to have hugely exceeded our target and are grateful to everyone who sponsored the event.
Reflecting on the KN Royal Parks Run, Stephen Parkinson (Senior Partner and half marathon runner), Bethan Owen (Head of Charities and half marathon runner) and Rosie Gibson (run organiser) said:
“This was a very special event. Most of us had trained for weeks, if not months, and pushed our boundaries, motivated by our wish to show support for our colleague and to run in aid of the charity that she had nominated. The support of our colleagues and the sense of team endeavour gave our event a quality and character all of its own”
Stephen Parkinson - Senior Partner and half marathon runner
“The event was extremely well organised and had to take account of all the relevant rules and regulations at the time (which were forever changing!). It was great to be able to focus on something to train for during lockdown and for such a great cause. Our colleague who has melanoma was overwhelmed by what we had done and raised so it really did make it all worthwhile.”
Bethan Owen - Partner, Head of Charities and half marathon runner
“The event was a great example of the dedication and enthusiasm of KNers who could easily have thrown in the towel after the original race was cancelled. The team spirit and volunteer support no doubt helped everyone cross the line. I am so impressed and grateful to all those who participated in the KN Royal Parks run and helped to raise such a brilliant sum for an important charity.”
Rosie Gibson, Trainee Solicitor and run organiser
Well done to all the runners who took part, including Bethan Owen, Stephen Parkinson, Tom Beak, Marie Linard, Vanessa Rhodes , Liam Hurren, Tom Surr, Andreas White, Ed Smyth, Sophie Allen, Dale Gibbons, Mary Young, Conor Boyd, Alice Trotter, Anna Shonfeld and Richard Foss, plus honorary KNers Laurentiu Cotumbeanu and David Young. Thank you also to the volunteers who helped run the event Emily Elliott, Bianca Patulea, Charlie Roe, Sophie Mass plus Emily Hilton and Andrew Curtis.
Further information
To find out more about Melanoma Focus, including what they do and how to support them, please visit their website. See also our KN Royal Parks fundraising page.
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