Running Events
Every year, supporters for the National Eczema Society take part in Marathons, Half Marathons, 5K events and Fun Runs. All these fundraising efforts are really appreciated and we can send you sponsorship forms and help you set up a website on Justgiving where friends and family can donate securely online to the NES - JUSTGIVING. If you would like to share your experience of running in an event to benefit the National Eczema Society please email your story and pictures to fundraising@eczema.org.
2010 Virgin London Marathon – one step closer to a cure 
Renowned for being the greatest race on earth, the London Marathon takes in many famous sights including the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, Big Ben and – to the relief of many! – that all important finishing line in front of Buckingham Palace.
Setting out to beat personal bests, fulfil lifelong ambitions and to support a charity that is close to their hearts on the 25 April were our very own team of National Eczema Society runners, cheered on by friends, family and Trustee Neroli Wilson
Like many of her fellow team members, 28-year-old Claire Stevens was inspired to take part by the personal experience of friends and family.
“I first heard about the National Eczema Society through Neroli who is one of my personal fitness clients. As well as telling me all about the Society’s work – and the invaluable support it provides to those living with the condition – Neroli also explained how she’d hoped to be part of the 2007 team but had had to pull out due to injury.
“Our conversations struck a real chord with me as my sister, Gemma, suffered with eczema from birth and my niece is now battling with the same itch scratch cycle. I’d also always wanted to run the marathon as I’m a Londoner born-and-bred and it therefore had special meaning for me to undertake such a challenge in the city I’ve grown up in.
“My partner Jim and I therefore both decided to submit applications to the Society to take part in this year’s marathon and were thrilled when we were both awarded places. It means a lot to us to be able to raise funds for such a worthwhile cause and I was also delighted to run on behalf of Neroli as I know how much it means to her.”
With a target time of four hours and three hours and 45minutes respectively, Jim and Claire had been training in earnest for the big day.
“We’re both runners anyway and as Jim had run the London marathon twice before, and I’m a personal trainer, it was easy to put a training schedule together as soon as we found out we had our places back in October.
“We couldn’t always train together but it certainly helped to spur each other on and to keep us both motivated, especially on a cold winter’s night. We’re also quite competitive, although maybe not quite as much since Jim discovered I’m quicker than he is!
“We aimed to do two distance runs during the working week of 10k or 15k and then, at the weekend, completed a longer run together that was a minimum of two hours. We maintained the middle distance runs during the week and then the weekend was when we’d stretch ourselves with the aim of running a longer and longer distance each week.
“Core training is also an important part of preparing for a marathon as by training your whole body you reduce your risk of injury. I therefore combined my running with regular sessions at the gym.
“I really wanted every mile to count in terms of pounds raised for the National Eczema Society. Having seen my sister scratch non stop from birth until her early twenties and watching her now care for her baby daughter, Frankie, who has also inherited the condition, I know first hand just how important having access to information and support is.
“Although Gemma’s eczema was primarily confined to her scalp she would flare up randomly in other areas from time to time. It was a constant irritant and she was always itchy. She’d scratch all the time resulting in a dandruff type coating of white flakes on her clothes. She also had to use a special medicated shampoo and could never use normal shampoos and conditioners like I could.
“Frankie has also had eczema pretty much since birth. Unlike Gemma, her scalp is clear though and instead the eczema is confined to her knees, elbows and the back of the neck. During a bad flare up she will scratch and scratch until her skin bleeds but we minimise these by applying emollients every day and a steroid if required.
“Despite the constant itching Frankie is a really happy and contented baby – she even smiles while she’s scratching! – and we’re just all hoping that, as she gets older, she’ll grow out of the condition like Gemma did.
“In the meantime, I hope that the money we’ve raised will help families like ours cope with the daily challenges of living with this incurable condition and enable the National Eczema Society to continue to provide information, advice, support and, crucially, hope to the five million eczema sufferers in the UK.”
“Once again we were delighted to have a team of committed runners representing us on the day,” adds Chief Executive of the National Eczema Society, Margaret Cox, “and are forever grateful to each and every one of them for their enormous efforts, from their months of physical preparation to their incredible endurance and their tireless fundraising.
“As always, the atmosphere during the race was indescribable and it was wonderful to see so many people lining the streets cheering on all the runners as I know from speaking to our own team how often an injection of support from a spectator can make all the difference, especially if you’ve hit the wall.”
Each year the London Marathon raises thousands of pounds for the National Eczema Society thanks to a determined group of runners who always put in a gold medal performance, both on and off the track, and their support team of family, friends, colleagues and well wishers. If you’d like to be part of something special on the 17 April 2011 contact www.virginlondonmarathon.com to apply for a place – you may get lucky in the ballot. We also have a very few Gold Bond places and if you would like to know more about them, get in touch with Christina at fundraising@eczema.org or call 020 7281 3553.
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