75 marathons in 3 months!

Teneo is supporting Tom Crossland’s project, Run to Refuge, where he’ll be running 1900 miles across 85 days to raise money for TRIBE Freedom Foundation‘s mission to end modern slavery. Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of meeting Tom and joining him for the first part of his 50km journey from Cromer to Brancaster in the UK. I’m not a runner and so I was a bit nervous, but I was prepared to give it a go and at least provide Tom some company along the day’s run.

When I arrived at Tom’s starting point, I found out that he wasn’t feeling well so we set off walking along with Fiona, an ultra marathon runner who’d heard about Tom’s challenge and wanted to join him as part of her training, along with her partner Scott. Although Tom wasn’t feeling 100%, our conversations seemed to help distract him. He shared with me more about the cause behind his project and we talked about how being a refugee puts you at a greatly increased risk of being a victim of human trafficking. Tom also told me about the work that’s happening to try and address the trafficking that’s going on in the UK across county lines. The four of us went on to talk about climate change, sustainability, and racial inequality as we walked along the beautiful Norfolk coastal path.

I was only with the three of them for a short time before making my way back and I really felt for them as the temperatures were rising and they had so much further to go. When I think about what Tom is doing – 75 marathons in under 3 months – I can’t really get my head around it. The physical and mental strength required for such an undertaking is enormous and I left feeling awe struck and inspired to move more, but also to do more for the important causes such as this.

As Tom has shared in his blog posts, having company is helpful to Tom. Run to Refuge’s website provides a link to Tom’s route and the corresponding dates, in case others are nearby and wish to join him for a few miles. You can also support Tom’s cause through sponsorship of his mission or take part in a virtual run.

What a guy!

Author:  Cat Randall-Smith, HR & Training Associate, Teneo