Celebrating our Marathon heroes

The College has five Members taking part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon to support the College's emergency financial assistance programme, The Mecklenburgh Fund. You can support the Fund by sponsoring our runners or by volunteering to take part in the 2022 London Marathon (we have places for the London event and the virtual event)

The London Landmarks Half Marathon

Following on from the success of our Member, Alumni and staff runners in last year’s Virtual London Marathon, the College has entered into the London Landmarks Half Marathon. This event will take place on 3 April across the City of London and the City of Westminster, passing through some of London’s most iconic landmarks. It’s a fantastic route, combining running with sightseeing – it’s no easy task though, with over 13 miles to run!

We are pleased to announce that we have five Members taking part on our behalf. They will be raising money for our emergency financial assistance programme, The Mecklenburgh Fund, whilst pushing themselves to reach personal bests.

The Mecklenburgh Fund has been crucial for our College community over the last two years. We’ve seen a real increase in the need for emergency financial assistance amongst our Members as a result of the pandemic and the related strain on incomes. In the 2020-21 academic year we awarded £75k in emergency financial support to Members struggling with unexpected costs and lost employment.

Anything you can spare in sponsorship for our Member runners will be greatly appreciated by everyone at the College. By choosing to support our runners you are also supporting the wider Goodenough community; every penny raised will be used to help Members overcome financial barriers and focus on their studies.

You can read a little about each of our Member runners below:

Hailun Zhang

Hailun Zhang is from China. He is currently finishing his Master’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS. Hailun is a committed runner who loves to explore London on foot and encourage his fellow GC Members to take part in running events. He’s running the LLHM for the College because the time he has spent at Goodenough College is “my best ever memory in life and I want to support my fellow Members.”

Cerys-Scarlett Swift

Cerys-Scarlett Swift is from South Wales and is studying a Masters in Digital Documentaries at Royal Holloway University. She loves running, especially in the Welsh mountains with her Dad. Cerys is running for the College “because of the incredible support they have given me. I wouldn’t be able to do my course without my Scholarship, I’m incredibly grateful to be given the opportunity. Not only this, but when facing finical difficulty the Mecklenburgh Fund has helped me get back on my feet. I feel now it’s time for me try and give something back by undertaking this challenge!”

John Houslay

John Houslay was born in South Africa but grew up in Singapore. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Molecular Biology at UCL, where he’s investigating gene regulation in cancer. John says that: “Despite living in London for three years prior, Goodenough College has allowed me to experience the city in a completely new way.” John is excited to be raising money for the Mecklenburgh fund as living at Goodenough College over the last 18 months has given him an appreciation of the financial struggle that many Members have faced during the pandemic.

Blanca Gomez

Blanca Gomez is from Madrid. She’s a third-year PhD student at UCL researching the writings of Spanish authors who were exiled in UK after the Spanish Civil War (most of them lived around the College). During the hardest moments of the pandemic, living in the College provided her with a ‘home away from home’, a sense of community, and invaluable pastoral care. She is running for the LLHM because she wants Goodenough College to remain the diverse and inclusive community that it has been for years.

Kenya Addison

Kenya Addison is from South Africa and has recently swapped the quiet mountain trails of Cape Town for the busy, bustling roads of London. She is studying an MSc in Nutrition for Global Health at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Coming from a country with a weak currency, she understands the strain and financial burden that comes with being an international student living in London. She is running the LLHM for the College to raise funds to help ensure that Goodenough College remains the inclusive and vibrant community that it is today.

The London Marathon

We can also now officially announce that we have a highly sought after place in the prestigious TCS London Marathon 2022! (TCS – Tata Consultancy Services – is the ‘title partner’ of the London Marathon.)

These places are incredibly hard to come by and we expect applications for it to be competitive. It’s one of the greatest and well renowned marathons in the world and a ‘must-do’ for any committed runner.

Not only that, the College also has ten places for the Virtual London Marathon! Taking place on the same day as the mass event, Sunday 2 October, the virtual marathon provides participants of all abilities with the opportunity to complete their 26.2 miles over 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds – making it an inclusive option for anyone who might not have considered taking on a marathon before. You can take part wherever in the world you are and you can split the distance however you like, you can even share it with a friend!

All finishers will receive the same coveted TCS London Marathon medal and t-shirt as participants in the mass event, along with audio support and route tracking on the official app.