Travel professionals who completed the 2021 London Marathon have thanked industry supporters for getting them over the finishing line.
A-Rosa River Cruises UK boss Lucia Rowe, Cosmos and Avalon Waterways chief executive Giles Hawke, Caribtours managing director Paul Cleary and former Abta director of membership and financial protection John de Vial were among those from the industry who ran 26.2 miles in difficult weather conditions on Sunday.
The runners have raised thousands of pounds through donations for their chosen charities Abta LifeLine, the Family Holiday Association and Macmillan Cancer Support.
De Vial has so far raised £13,306 of a target of £18,515 as he looks to move his total raised since 2014 for the Family Holiday Association beyond £120,000.
The 2021 London Marathon was the eighth in a row to be completed by the event veteran, who retired from the association at the end of September.
Rowe has raised more than £3,500 for the Family Holiday Association so far but hopes more donations will come in over the next 24 hours. Currently, she estimates nearly 90 of the 108 donors work in the travel industry.
On the industry donors, Rowe said: “I feel very proud of them all. When times are tough this is when the quality of human beings shows. I was thinking of them coming together.”
More: A-Rosa’s UK boss ‘humbled’ by industry support
She added: “I’ve seen how much the travel industry is working together and helping each other. Everyone is working so collaboratively on everything that they do.
“The marathon is a celebration of life and how life has come back for us.”
Rowe said that the weather turned as she completed the final mile. “For around two kilometres, there was hail and huge gusts of wind,” she said.
“I turned the corner at Westminster and the sun came out. That last mile was the most difficult. There was hail in my face.”
She added: “It was really brilliant, and I loved every minute. The atmosphere was electrifying. I was in London from Thursday and I could not believe the athletes that were coming in from all over the world.
“I started to feel a bit intimidated.”
Hawke ran the ‘virtual’ London Marathon with a “dream team of supporters and running companions”. He has so far raised just under £1,500 for Abta LifeLine.
Giles Hawke runs the ‘virtual’ London Marathon on Sunday
“It was hard and harder than I expected,” he said. “It was full on. I’ve done a lot of bike rides, but you get rest periods when you’re going down hill but with running you still have to move your body and keep those legs moving.
“I really enjoyed it and there was a great sense of achievement at the end.”
Hawke said the “vast majority” of donations to Abta LifeLine came from people working in the travel industry. “The donation page is still open,” he said. “Money is going to be needed for people in the industry in the months to come. Hopefully there will be less need as demand picks up.”
Cleary, who has raised £3,127 for Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Running a marathon is an undertaking. It’s not so much the glory of the day. What people are really sponsoring you for is the hours and hours of training in the wet weather and darkness.
Paul Cleary reflects on the 26.2 mile race
“I am incredibly grateful for all the support.”
Cleary believes that at least £3,000 of the donations came from the travel industry.
He encouraged donors to send him to different parts of London – including Buckingham Palace, Queens Park Rangers’ Loftus Road stadium and the Oxo Tower – in exchange for a video message during his training.
“London is such an amazing city,” he said. “I ran to wherever they gave me. Whoever is doing the marathon is just a conduit because it is the charity that really benefits. The people that are doing the donating, they deserve a lot of the credit.”
The Avis Budget Group team in Windsor Great Park
Avis Budget Group has raised more than £1,755 for Abta LifeLine after a team walked the ‘virtual’ London Marathon through Windsor Great Park.
The team – including director of travel and partnerships Jeanette Harper and head of international travel and partnerships Stig Williams – took nine hours and 53 minutes to complete the distance.