Faith and 5k: Jemma takes on the Interfaith Fun Run

Nick Spooner - 03 09 21

To raise money for HOPE not hate Charitable Trust, Jemma Levene stormed round the 5km course at the Interfaith Fun Run. Nick Spooner reports on the event.

Despite having her passionate loathing of running (one we share!), on Bank Holiday Monday our Deputy Director Jemma Levene headed over to the Stonex Stadium in Barnet to take on the first Interfaith Fun Run.

‘On a weekend away with my family, I realised I was exhausted after a day of walking and that lockdown had meant I’d accidentally got incredibly unfit. I’d never voluntarily run anywhere in my life before, but I dug out some old trainers and went for a very short, very slow jog up the road and back’, said Jemma, giving us some background on her motivations for taking part.

With medical professionals advising that we take 150 mins of moderate exercise, or 75 mins of intense exercise, a week the ‘Couch To 5k’ initiative has been a great, structured motivator in getting more people active. Breaking down the task into 9 weeks of running 3 runs a week, each week increasing the length of the runs, the initiative builds up strength, fitness and mental resilience in order for the runner to reach that magic 5k mark.

The Interfaith Fun Run itself was a big success, with hundreds of people coming together from across London to take part. There were 10km, 5km and 1km running options, along with a 1km walk option, as well as charity stalls, food, music (some of which came courtesy of a terrific Hindu pipe band) and an “Inflatables Zone”, which sounds great but which, sadly, we didn’t get a chance to check out.

As for the run, Jemma smashed it. Not only did she complete the 5km course in a great time, she raised over £3,300 for HOPE not hate Charitable Trust. This is an absolutely mammoth achievement, and a big thank you to everyone who donated as part of the fundraiser!

We asked Jemma how she felt having finished the race. 

“I’m really not a runner, so this was a massive challenge for me, but I’m so pleased I took it on. Running with such a diverse friendly group was so uplifting, I think the atmosphere alone got me round the last km!

It was great to be out with some of our team at a real life community event once again, the whole day was such a great experience. Knowing we were raising funds and raising awareness of our work just made it even better.”

Well done Jemma, see you there next year for the 10km then!

If you’re inspired by this blog to raise money for HOPE not hate, check out this page for more information.

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