RGS Teachers Take on the London Marathon
Two runners from The RGS Family of Schools participated in the London Marathon on April 23, with both teachers raising funds for important charities.
Academic Admissions Manager and Sports teacher, Mrs Cia Swingler, had an incredible journey from start to finish. When she signed up for the London Marathon, Cia wanted to raise money for a great cause and prove to herself that she still had the ability to run a marathon. She completed the Berlin Marathon in 2012 and wanted to show that having two children since then would not stop her. However, Cia faced numerous challenges along the way, including sickness bugs, childcare challenges, and fainting during a school gym lesson after rolling her ankle. Despite these setbacks, Cia persevered and learnt that she is mentally stronger than ever before. Her time of 5 hours and 38 minutes was an hour slower than her time 12 years ago, but it showed her utter determination to complete the gruelling marathon.
Cia said, “I found the event to be both amazing and awful at the same time. I was incredibly emotional and cried every time someone shouted my name, which happened a lot. Running around London’s landmarks was a complete joy, but running 26.2 miles was still a challenge. I finished the marathon in glorious sunshine, running down the Mall with my children, sister, brother-in-law, and two school friends cheering me along”.
Cia would like to thank the RGS community for their support, helping her raise £1,495 in addition to her Just Giving page dedicated to raising funds for Spinal Research, inspired by her experiences with both her husband and a close friend who have both benefitted from spinal surgery. She feels very proud to have completed the London Marathon and joined a special group of people who have accomplished this feat.
In addition to Cia’s amazing journey, the Director of Innovation, Mr John Jones, completed the marathon with an impressive time of 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 7 seconds running the marathon for the Worcester Snoezelen Project. Worcester Snoezelen is a leisure therapy centre offering a range of person-centred multisensory activities that empower, bring joy, and help members make choices and communicate through alternative means.
John’s marathon preparation experience involved plenty of long, cold muddy runs on Sunday mornings, including one where John and Rodney (his dog) bumped into our Headmaster, John Pitt, and his dog randomly on a bridge somewhere on the Droitwich canal system!
John Jones comments, “Participating meant a lot to me as my family are all from London, I spent a lot of my childhood there, and the route involved running past The Valley – home of Charlton Athletic, my football team. Indeed, since my youth, I have always watched the race avidly on television. Furthermore, I have entered the ballot to run it for the last 13 years and until this year, I have always been unsuccessful. Raising money for Worcester Snoezelen has been a real incentive as well. I went to visit the Centre over Easter with my children and was blown away by both the brilliant facilities and incredible staff who dedicate their working days to providing the best possible sensory experiences for people with disabilities and additional needs”.
Both Cia and John have demonstrated remarkable determination, resilience and perseverance and both have made a significant contribution to their chosen charities and The RGS Family of Schools is incredibly proud of them.
If you would still like to donate and support Mr Jones in his Marathon fundraiser, then you can do so here.
If you would still like to donate and support Mrs Swingler in her Marathon fundraiser, then you can do so here.