Sheffield Mutual team running the extra mile for Weston Park Cancer Charity

A Sheffield Mutual team, which consists of employees, friends and family will be donning their running shoes and taking on the Sheffield Half Marathon on Sunday 7th April.

Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All, announced at the end of 2023 that Sheffield Mutual would become the new title sponsor of the Sheffield Half Marathon and Sheffield 10K. The partnership will see us support South Yorkshire’s leading running events for at least the next two years.

Famous for its mile-long climb up Ringinglow Road along with stunning views across the Peak District, the Sheffield Half Marathon will be returning to its much-loved city centre start and finish on Arundel Gate.

The team will be fundraising for Sheffield Mutual’s chosen charity for 2024, Weston Park Cancer Charity. The charity provides care and support for people affected by cancer, during and after treatment, through their information, support centre and outreach work. The team, which consists of Chief Executive Officer, Jamie, Chief Operating Officer, Paul, Member Services Team Lead, Dawn B, Risk and IT Lead, Will and Compliance and Regulatory Monitoring Specialist, Oliver have all been training hard for the upcoming race.

We caught up with them to hear how their training is going.

Paul

“The motivation to participate stemmed from Sheffield Mutual's sponsorship of this event and the 10K in September 2024. Eager to support a number of great causes and promote this fantastic organisation, I took the plunge.

The initial run of the Couch to 5K, more accurately described as walk, jog, walk, repeat for 28 minutes, kicked off with a pleasant 5-minute walk. My choice of shoes held up well, but I foresee the need for better equipment as the big day approaches.”

Jamie

“It’s been a long time since I’ve ran a half marathon and so my aim has been to run the distance at least a few times before the event. After feeling quite heavy after enjoying Christmas a bit too much I stepped up the training mid January, running around 5 miles several times a week. In February and moving into March I’ve increased the distance, from 10 up to 14 miles, on a few rainy Saturdays. Over that distance I’ve needed some decent podcasts or an audiobook to keep my mind occupied but the scenic routes around the Trans-Pennine trail have also helped.

I’ve noticed a recent trend in the use of ‘cold therapy’ or ‘ice baths’ - being one to jump on a bandwagon I’ve given it a go after each run (not so much an ice bath, more of a very cold bath). I haven’t had the usual achey legs the day after a long and it definitely made me feel more alert! Plus, my kids particularly enjoyed seeing me painfully lower myself into the tub, but they didn’t enjoy being dipped into it themselves as much.”

If you would like to donate, head over to the team’s fundraising page here.

Make sure you are following us on all our social platforms as we will be sharing our teams training efforts.