Race Directors Jenn and Stephen are so sorry that the Punish was cancelled for 2021 after having to field smaller numbers in 2020, all due to COVID.
As penance, we have chosen to run the London Virtual Marathon around Mount Panorama! Seven laps…
The background
In August 2019, we had the honour and privilege of visiting Cirencester in the Cotswolds in the UK. Cirencester has a friendship arrangement with Bathurst NSW, as it’s the ancestral home of Lord Bathurst.
Our City was named after the 5th Earl Bathurst, and we spent a lovely few days with the 9th Earl, Lord Allen Bathurst and his delightful wife Lady Sara at their home “The Mansion” on the Bathurst Estate during that trip.
London Virtual Marathon
Our good friend Simon King, who has spent many months visiting us here in Bathurst from Cirencester started chatting about the idea of us running the London Marathon together – what a brilliant idea! Except… COVID!
Instead, he worked together with the Cirencester Housing for Young People to get entries for their virtual marathon.
The team in Cirencester are running their marathon on the grounds of The Bathurst Estate, with Lord Bathurst rumoured to be acting as the official starter! Their little “Beano” coffee van will be selling our local Fish River Roasters coffee on the day, a lovely tie to us here in Bathurst.
Stephen and Jenn thought long and hard about where we could find a nice, easy, flat route in Bathurst and decided that the only iconic option to compare to The Bathurst Estate was to complete seven laps of Mount Panorama. What could possibly go wrong?!
We aim to start our marathon in the early afternoon of Sunday 3rd October 2021, with the view to starting our final lap about 6.30pm. This will be 8.30am UK time as we pass the virtual baton to the rest of our team in Cirencester as they commence their marathon!
Fundraising
Of course, we need a real reason to keep going around and up and down and around and up and down and….
We’d love you support us by choosing a charity to donate to.
The Cirencester Housing for Young People (CHYP), provides 24 hour supported accommodation for young homeless people between the age of 16-25 in the Cotswold district area. Their aim is not just to offer these young people a roof over their heads but the practical and emotional support they need. CHYP teaches them how to look after themselves, help them gain confidence and live a more fulfilling life independently.
Veritas House offers accommodation and support services to more than 800 vulnerable children, young people and their families annually across the Central West. It’s grown to become one of the region’s largest providers of foster care and youth homelessness services, employing more than 100 people. As a community-based organisation, Veritas staff are local and able to be responsive to the unique needs of those living in our area.