Ollie Price (whose mother coincidentally happens to be The Filo Project's co-founder!) challenged himself to run five half marathons over five consecutive days, followed by a full marathon less than three weeks later, in Brighton, to raise money for The Filo Project.
Ollie completed his fifth half marathon in Lisbon on 17th March and on 7th April completed his first ever full marathon in Brighton, taking in both city and coastal views over 26.2 miles.
We caught up with Ollie to find out more about what motivated him to do this, how it’s been going, and what unexpected things he’s learned along the way. Here’s what Ollie had to say:
“Having witnessed first hand the fantastic work that the filo project does, and the impact it has on its clients, made me very sure that I wanted to raise money for them. I’ve seen them grow over the years into an amazing organisation and I know that any money raised will be very valuable to them.
I had returned to running during lockdown and I really enjoyed getting fitter again and it got me thinking about some targets I could set myself, and after increasing my distances I thought it would be appropriate to set myself a target of running a marathon, which gave me a great opportunity to raise some money for the fantastic Filo Project.
Doing five half marathons in five days was a bit of a mixed bag because often friends were too busy to join me and no one fancied joining me at 4:30am in the wind and rain to run around Bristol!
The hardest thing is mentally preparing yourself to run when sometimes there are one million reasons why you don’t want to. Sometimes I wake up and all I want to do is run, other times I’d wake up and want to do anything but go running! However, setting myself a goal like the marathon meant that I can’t make excuses, and I need to just get on with it. The fact that everyone has been unbelievably generous with the sponsorship means I need to do it for them too.
The most surprising thing about my training has been the positive impact exercise has had on my mental health. I’ve really wanted to look after myself, eat healthier, drink less etc. Now I just hope that once I’ve completed my goal I can keep it up!”
Ollie also has some advice for anyone thinking about their own goals and challenges:
“You don’t have to be a marathon runner to set yourself a challenge. The fact you’re setting yourself a goal is impressive in itself. Having a goal to work towards means you can’t come up with excuses. It’s pushed me to try way harder than I would have done if I didn’t have a target.”
When asked why he chose to fundraise for The Filo Project, Ollie said:
"The benefits of having access to Filo Days is huge for everyone involved. It allows carers and families to take valuable respite from the challenges of caring for someone with dementia as well as adding joy to everyday life."