The National Autistic Society London Marathon 2016 information pack

Virgin Money London Marathon

2016

Running for The National Autistic Society

londonmarathon.autism.org.uk1

The Virgin Money London Marathon The Virgin Money London Marathon is quite simply the most iconic marathon race anywhere on the planet. It’s the biggest one-day fundraising event in the world and deserves to be on the bucket list of any relatively fit person! With over 40,000 runners, a million spectators and landmarks such as the Cutty Sark, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, the atmosphere is incredible, the challenge real and the sense of achievement on crossing the finish line truly amazing!

So thank you for expressing an interest in supporting The National Autistic Society in the work we do. If you decide to take part in the ultimate running event for us, you’ll be helping the 700,000 people in the UK who live with autism every day.

The Virgin Money London Marathon is our most important event. Every year, our runners raise around £250,000, so you’ll be joining a team of like-minded

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Join our team

in 2016!

people who make an awesome difference to the work we do.

This is your official guide to running the Virgin Money London Marathon with The National Autistic Society. If it doesn’t answer all your questions please get in touch with our Events Team on events@nas.org.uk or call 0808 800 1050 to find out more.

Get your place in the marathon The Virgin Money London Marathon is the most in-demand running event in the world. Did you know?

There are 125,000 entry places in the general entry ballot which fills in less than 12 hours (so you have to be quick just to enter!)

Only 25,000 people get a place in the ballot so only one in five succeed.

The National Autistic Society has about 150 charity places and we receive about 300 applications for a place with us.

To increase your chances of getting a place, we recommend that you do both actions below:

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Enter online in the general entry ballot at www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com on Monday 4 May at 9am (this is a bank holiday). Remember that it will fill up fast!

2

Apply for a charity place with The National Autistic Society by visiting londonmarathon.autism.org.uk.

While your success in the general entry ballot is down to random chance, applying for a charity place with us is not. Your application will be read and considered, so you have the opportunity to influence us to give you a place. Read on to see what we look for in a runner’s application to increase your chances of getting a place.

Make your fam

ily proud

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Applying for a charity place with us The National Autistic Society has over 150 charity places, perhaps one with your name on it! However, our places are limited and whilst we’d love to give everyone a place to run in support of us, it’s unfortunately not possible.

To be considered for one of these coveted places you will need to complete an online application form at londonmarathon.autism.org.uk.

Read our tips for filling in the form and to increase your chances of being selected.

What are we looking for in a runner?

1. Motivation! Why do you want to run for us?

It’s really important that your sole motivation isn’t just to run the marathon. It has to be more than that, because when the cold, dark, wet Sunday morning ‘long run’ is calling, you’ll need something deep down to keep you motivated – crossing the finish line on its own isn’t enough. So tell us why you want to run for us, what inspires you to support us and why you want to make a difference for people living with autism.

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2. What would be your minimum fundraising target? Set your own!

The Virgin Money London Marathon is our biggest fundraising event, so how much you plan to raise with one of our charity places really matters to us. As a team we will hope to raise in excess of £300,000 in 2016 – making it our biggest fundraising team in our history!

3. More importantly, how do you plan to reach your target?!

We don’t have a set minimum fundraising target for one of our charity places. Instead we’ll ask you to set your own and agree to aim for and reach it. It’s important that your target is realistic and achievable so when you set out on your fundraising journey you can feel confident you’re going to reach your goal.

So be ambitious with what you plan to raise, but also be confident you can achieve it.

Do a bit of research and be confident in your fundraising plans. Don’t worry if at this stage you don’t have all your ideas ready, that’s what the team at the NAS is for!

Whilst setting your target as a big number at first glance might impress us, what’s more important to us (and you) is understanding how you plan to reach your fundraising goal.

We need to be confident that you will have a high chance of reaching your target as we’re depending on you. So take a bit of time to detail how you plan to get there.

It helps if you break down your fundraising plan into achievable activities, for example:

> online fundraising page: £500 > charity pub quiz: £300 > Grand National sweepstake: £100 and so on.

Nearly at

the finish

line!

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4. How else can you help the NAS with your journey in the Virgin Money London Marathon?

While raising lots of money from great fundraising ideas is important, it’s not the only thing we look for in how a runner can support us. So here are a few more things to think about.

Do you have an interesting story to tell the media? If you can get in the news locally and/or nationally about why you are running in support of us, that can be invaluable.

For example are you running in a costume, setting a world record or have a physical reason why completing the marathon would be difficult for you? If you’re happy to talk

5. Stand out, be unique!

We’re looking for runners who will stand out and tell a compelling story about why they want to run the marathon for us. So make sure your application reflects your personality – and you’ll be more likely to receive one of our charity places.

about your marathon experience and have a great story to tell, let us know!

Does your company offer match funding?

Some companies will match £1 for £1 what you raise for charity, or maybe make a significant donation to your marathon efforts.

Do you know what they offer? Ask your boss, you might be pleasantly surprised at how supportive they will be, particularly if your reason for running in support of The National Autistic Society is heartfelt. Securing match funding is a big plus for any runner!

Do you have a unique set of skills that could help us in the future? Perhaps you are a specialist in your field and you could give your time and skills as a gift in kind.

For instance perhaps you are a lawyer who could help pro-bono or a marketing and PR specialist.

If you’re still unsure about what to say on your application, please talk to us before submitting your form, as we want you to complete the application as best you can.

The crowds w cheer you onill

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What happens when?

Monday 20 April Monday 4 May Friday 11 September Early October Monday 12 October October

Applications for the NAS charity places open

General ballot opens for the Virgin Money London Marathon; it will fill up in less than 12 hours.

Don’t miss out, apply at www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com Closing date for applications for charity places with the NAS. NB The sooner you get your application in, the better During the first two weeks in October those runners who have entered the general ballot will receive an accepted (if they’re lucky) or rejected magazine in the post from the marathon organisers NAS charity places offered to successful applicants with a reserve list to cover any drop-out runners

If you haven’t already, you’ll need to start your marathon training and your fundraising!

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How we will support you Running the marathon for charity is quite a commitment and undoubtedly it will be a major focus for you in the five to six months leading up to the big day. You can expect loads of support from our Events Team to ensure your training and fundraising preparations go brilliantly and your race-day experience is unforgettable!

Before race day you can expect: 1

access to our online training platform with extensive and detailed training plans, tips on avoiding injury, route mapping, pace calculators and more

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a bank of fundraising ideas that previous runners have had success with

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fundraising support and materials to maximise your fundraising events

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training days where you can meet fellow runners and the NAS Events Team

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support from the Events Team on the end of the telephone or via email to help with any questions, big or small

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free ticket to Meet the Experts organised by the Virgin Money London Marathon (particularly useful for firsttime runners)

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presence at the marathon start to help you register and get your race number.

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On race day you can expect: 1

a personalised, high-performance NAS running vest

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cheering materials for friends and family to help them stand out in the crowd

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the loudest cheering points on the course where your friends and family can join in with us to give you a big boost when you need it most!

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official NAS filming and photography to capture you on the course at various points an after party a stone’s throw from the finishing line where you can meet friends and family, get a massage, a shower and a bite to eat to celebrate! a chance to win two VIP passes for the Grand Stand at the finish line on the Mall.

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The difference you’ll make There are about 700,000 people with autism in the UK. Together with their families they make up over 2.8 million people who are affected by autism and need our support. Most of our runners tend to know someone close to them who is on the autism spectrum, so you probably won’t need us to tell you the effect autism has on people every day.

The National Autistic Society is the leading UK charity for people with autism (including Asperger syndrome) and their families. We provide information, support and pioneering services, and campaign for a better world for people with autism.

Your support in running the marathon means we could answer more calls to our helpline and provide more services for the 700,000 people living with autism every day. Help us to help people with autism to lead the lives they choose.

As a charity we:

> operate a free specialised helpline

(0808 800 4104) – 19,300 people benefited from our support last year, which is entirely funded by voluntary donations > see 200,000 unique visitors to our website every month to get information on autism and where they can seek help > run eight specialist autism schools and residential, day and outreach services for adults with autism all over the UK.

Run for someone close to you

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Actions to get your place We hope we have inspired you to run the ultimate marathon in support of The National Autistic Society! If you still have questions or

would like to have a chat about the Virgin Money London Marathon then please get in touch with our Events Team.

Are you ready to run the Virgin Money London Marathon?

Yes! Then the next steps for you are:

1

On Monday 4 May at 9am (this is a bank holiday) remember to enter online in the general entry ballot at www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com (it will fill up fast!).

2

Apply for a charity place with The National Autistic Society by visiting londonmarathon.autism.org.uk.

We look forward to supporting you all the way to the finish line!

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We are the leading UK charity for people with autism (including Asperger syndrome) and their families. With the help of our members, supporters and volunteers we provide information, support and pioneering services, and campaign for a better world for people with autism.

Around 700,000 people in the UK have autism. Together with their families they make up around 2.8 million people whose lives are touched by autism every single day. From good times to challenging times, The National Autistic Society is there at every stage, to help transform the lives of everyone living with autism.

We are proud of the difference we make.

The National Autistic Society 393 City Road London EC1V 1NG Supporter Care Team: 0808 800 1050 Fax: 0207 923 5743 Email: events@nas.org.uk Web: londonmarathon.autism.org.uk

The National Autistic Society is a company limited by guarantee registered in England (No.1205298) and a charity registered in England and Wales (269425) and in Scotland (SC039427), registered office 393 City Road, London, EC1V 1NG.

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