The 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon is less than 1 week away. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the annual mass endurance run, which has raised over £716m for good causes since it was launched in 1981.
On 26 April, 37,000 people will pound the capital’s streets once again to add to the pot but as time ticks down to the big start, the training and preparation can seem a lonely vigil – which is where #extramile comes in.
Extramile.co.uk is a website for everyone running the Virgin Money London Marathon, pulling together all the race content shared across sites such as Twitter and Instagram using #extramile. Launched in 2014, the new 2015 edition has a number of handy features to help you make it to the finish.
Personal Timeline creates a webpage that brings together all of your Twitter and Instagram updates plus your fundraising milestones in one place with a personalised URL. Track your progress to race day, share your journey with friends and family and create something you can look back on in future years.
There’s also a collective Timeline to remind you that you’re not alone – view your posts along with thousands of others building towards the big day.
Meanwhile the Countdown section has been ticking off the weeks to the start with specially created weekly content including interviews with celebrity runners such as Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster and Mr Selfridge actor Ray Macallan, who is preparing for his 11th marathon. Weekly features such as 11 brilliant things about taking part in an organised race as told through GIFs, offer a welcome break from the seriousness of training.
You can also catch up with the many stories posted by ordinary runners training for the big day like you. Find out why they’re running and how they aim to achieve their goals.
Last year, many chose to share their journey with #extramile. You might want to read the 2014 Alumni stories for inspiration. There are dozens of uplifting tales of selfless effort and dedication to motivate you here. If they could do it, you can too.
There’s also a competition section with prizes available every week for people sharing their marathon experiences – take a picture of your battered trainers, share you favourite training fuel, motivational mantra or a pumping tune. Simply post using the #extramile hashtag along with the weekly competition hashtag and the best could run off with some great prizes, including donations to your preferred charity.
Sign up to the #extramile newsletter now to receive the latest updates, competitions, inspiration and motivation at extramile.co.uk
