Three brave SEA people are participating in the Run2Paris from 25 to 28 May. Ben Smith (Team Captain), Catherine Brogan and Richard Deighton will be running together all the way to Paris from London on behalf of SEA and Cohort plc. They’ll be running half a marathon each day for four days and will also be joined by Ash Perolls and Marc Scammell from MASS. You can show some support by going to their page and donating!
Ben’s running journey
Ben Smith (Supply Chain Manager at SEA) is our Team Captain for the event, he started running in 2020 to - in his own words - sort out his dad bod when the first wave of Covid hit. Instead of the virus, he caught the running bug through using the Couch to 5k program. He quickly went from running 5k to regularly running 10k.
His running journey wasn’t without adversity though, he pushed too hard and injured his right knee and couldn’t really run for almost a year. He slowly built his knee strength back up with another couch to 5k and ran the Barnstaple half marathon in 2021 and 2022. He then thought ‘What’s next’ and the Run2Paris came up.
Why the Run2Paris?
The Run2Paris will be an incredible challenge, with each leg of the relay being basically a half marathon, which means Ben and his teammates will run a half marathon four days in a row! This won’t be easy, but supporting two incredible charities will be a great motivation.
Here’s what Ben said about the run: “I heard about the Run2Paris challenge and instantly said yes because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. I’ve ran half marathons before and weirdly enjoy them, but the opportunity to do it while raising money for two incredible charities will really drive me forward! Finishing the run at the Eiffel tower will make this event incredibly memorable, especially as the organisers have booked a nearby bar for a proper celebration afterwards!”
How can you help?
Running to Paris is for two amazing causes: our corporate charity SSAFA and Parkinson's UK. The Cohort Plc runners have set a fundraising target of at least £10,000, please show our runners some support by going to their page and donating.
