Marathon Fundraiser

Marathon Fundraiser

Ray Johnson, member of Folkestone Rotary Club, marathon runner and principal fundraiser for the Kent Association for the Blind, gave a fascinating account of his amazing achievements in a recent presentation to members of the Rotary Club of South Foreland.

He began by telling us the origin of the Marathon which dates back to 490 BC when a Greek soldier ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens with news of victory in battle.  Running that distance without stopping was an incredible feat for a body designed for short bursts of 400 to 500 yards in search of prey.

Ray’s first long distance running event was at Folkestone in 1999 when he ran 16 miles and raised £1000. That encouraged him to enter for the London Marathon in 2001.  This had started in 1981 when Chris Brasher, who had previously run the New York Marathon, and John Denley wanted to create a world class event in London.  For the first year there were 7091 runners, six of whom have completed every London Marathon since it began.   They are known as the ‘ever presents’.

This year there were 56,500 runners, chosen by ballot from the 840,301 people who applied to enter for the greatest fundraiser in the world.  In brief, the route begins in Greenwich, then to Woolwich, around Tower Bridge before turning westwards to the Houses of Parliament, on to Buckingham Palace and finally down Pall Mall to the finish.

While marathons are held in many large cities such as Tokyo, New York, Boston, Paris, Berlin and Chicago, Ray considers London to be the best because of its environment.  There is the variety of buildings including historic landmarks, the parks, tree-lined avenues, the River Thames with its bridges and water traffic. These surroundings with the enthusiastic and supportive crowds create the distinctive atmosphere of the London Marathon.

People from all walks of life and of different abilities and ages, take part in the event.  The course record for men is 2 hours 01 minutes 25 seconds by Kevin Kiptum of Kenya in 2023.  For women it is 2 hours15 minutes and 25 seconds by Paula Radcliff of the UK in 2003.  In 2025 the Men’s Champion was Sebastian Sawe of Kenya in a time of 2 hours 02 minutes and 27 seconds while the Women’s Champion was Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia in 2 hours 15 minutes and 50 seconds.  The oldest person to run was a 90 year old in 2000 who took 11 hours 34 minutes to complete the course.

Many well known people have taken part in the London Marathon and Ray told us of running with Frank Bruno on two occasions, with Jamie Oliver, and with Gordon Ramsay who deviated to shake hands with people on either side of the road while Ray steered a steady course down the middle.

While many entrants wear sensible running gear there is a varied array of costumes such as ostriches or rhinos, buildings such as the Eifel Tower, or appliances like a refrigerator.  This all adds to the enjoyment of the event and helps with fundraising but is hard work for the runners.

As the greatest fundraising event in the world the London Marathon has always had a main sponsor, including Flora, Virgin Money and now TCS (Tata Consultancy Services).  Many charities are allocated a number of places, depending on their size, and have to find runners to raise money for them.  This was how Ray came to run his first marathon in 2001.  His wife saw that the Kent Association for the Blind needed four runners to raise money for them.  Thinking that all the places would have been snapped up Ray rang the charity and found that there were two places left so he signed up with the aim of raising £500 but managed £1000.

The Kent Association for the Blind is based in Maidstone and covers Medway, Bromley and other parts of Kent.  It provides rehabilitation for children and adults with visual impairment.  It does amazing work in supporting and giving advice to clients so that they can lead active and independent lives.

Ray achieved his best time in the 2002 London Marathon which was 3 hours 23 minutes. It was also the year when he ran the New York Marathon.  In the briefing for the race runners were told not to accept anything from the public, as happens in London, because it might be drugged.  Despite this, it was a great experience, running down 5^th Avenue and near Central Park with the public going crazy.

This year has been special for Ray as he ran his 25^th consecutive London Marathon; a tremendous achievement in itself, without all his fundraising. Last year he raised £17000 and this year £12,500 which is a contrast to the amounts raised in his earlier London Marathons.  Folkestone businessman Roger de Haan has sponsored him each year.

Ray is now Ambassador for the Kent Association for the Blind, which had eleven places for 2025, the 45^th year of the London Marathon.  He is using his experience to head up the charity’s team of runners, giving tips for the run and for ways of fundraising.  The 2025 medals include one in brail for runners with visual impairment who need a sighted guide. ‘We run together’ is engraved on the medal.

It is not just the personal achievement of completing the marathon but the motivation to share the idea of distance running which gives people the chance to achieve by connecting with their local community.  In Folkestone the half - marathon has been run for the past 20 year and the 10K run is now well established.  These local events involve not just the runners but their supporters, and marshals such as Rotarians and police cadets. Their main sponsor is Saga. Some businesses see the events as opportunities to fulfil their Corporate Social Responsibility and theyncan attract customers and suppliers to support such charitable events. 

In 2019 Ray ran a 5K race on Saga’s cruise ship, the Spirit of Discovery, and raised £6,500.  This has become an annual event.  He told us of a lady who complained that if she took part in this race she was afraid of coming last.  Ray eventually persuaded her to enter: she did come last but she felt inspired at taking part as well as raising £2,300 for Pilgrims Hospice.

Having run the London Marathon for each of the past 25 years, Ray has raised £152,000 for the Kent Association for the Blind. He is to be congratulated for such a sustained and generous commitment.  He aims to continue running and fundraising as long as he has the energy.