Student Doctor smashing charity marathon challenge
Student Doctor Alice Fortune has so far run 192 km and raised £1790 for charity Young Minds as part of the challenge she has set herself of running a half marathon in every city in the country – and there are soon to be 52 of them!
“I’m running a half marathon in every city in England, to raise money for the Young Minds Trust.
There are 51 cities, soon to be 52 with the addition of Southend-on-Sea, and I plan to run a half marathon in each over the next two years or so, a total of over 1000 km (around 650 miles).
Student Doctor Alice Fortune's half marathon charity challenge
Young Minds is a UK-based charity which works to provide mental health support to young people in the UK. This brilliant charity is campaigning to ensure that every young person in the UK gets the mental health support they need, when they need it, and to stop young their mental health reaching a crisis point.
I’ve experienced myself how running can work absolute wonders for your mental health and am a huge advocate for encouraging others to experience this too.
So many young people suffer with their mental health, and this has been made even worse in recent years by the pandemic.
In 2020, one in six children aged five to sixteen were identified as having a probable mental health issue. Doing this challenge allows me to put my love for running to some good, by raising money for a cause I am passionate about.
My aim is to raise as much money for Young Minds as possible, and perhaps even inspire others to explore how running can help their mental health too.
Alice Fortune in Ripon for half marathon number seven
I am funding this challenge myself, to make sure that all money donated goes to Young Minds and the amazing work they do.
I’ll be travelling by train wherever I can, to reduce the carbon footprint of my challenge.
Travelling to each city will be the most time-consuming part; I estimate I’ll spend about 120 hours on trains and buses in total, and that’s without any delays!
Alice Fortune has completed nine half marathons so far
Working around my University finals exams and building in time for potential injuries means I’m not aiming to finish this challenge in a specific timeframe, but I estimate it will take me around two years to complete.
I am mainly running the half marathons on my own, however, I’ve been lucky enough to have a few friends offer to join me for some of them. Running with company makes the whole thing a lot easier and more enjoyable, so if anyone is interested in joining me for a run, please get in touch!”
Discover more
- Learn more about Alice’s 52 cities challenge on her website (link) and follow her progress on Twitter and Instagram.
- Make a donation to Young Minds via Alice’s Just Giving fundraising page (link).
- Watch the story of her Manchester half marathon on YouTube (link).