My Brighton Marathon team needs YOU!

So I am running the 2014 Brighton Marathon... and this is only just starting to sink in. Since September 2011 I have been working as a fundraiser for the Bromley by Bow Centre, a community organisation based in Tower Hamlets... and that's where this whole "running a marathon" idea began...

I can remember the moment I first decided to try running – I was cheering on a group of five 2012 Brighton Marathon runners who had spent months training and fundraising on behalf of the Centre. The atmosphere of everyone cheering, the positivity and camaraderie of all of the runners really captured my imagination. That evening, despite having never gone for a run and not owning a pair of trainers, I bought a place on my first ever half marathon taking place that autumn.

I was excited about getting out there for my first run, pulled on my plimsolls and went for an ambitious 3 mile run. Less than 10 minutes into the run I was exhausted, out of breath and panicking about the task I had set myself. But, I persevered and completed my half marathon, and another a few months later. Running for me has become more than just training for a race, it is how I unwind after a day at work and having moved to a new area recently it has given me the opportunity to explore where I live. Friends from school who remember me in PE lessons regularly comment on their surprise at my new found love of running – they can remember me hiding in the changing rooms when Cross Country was on the cards!

Running the Brighton Marathon in 2014 will mean a huge amount for me – not only because it is the race that inspired me to try running but also because I will be raising money for the Centre. The Centre is an incredibly special place and somewhere I regularly feel privileged to work. Walking through the park is guaranteed to brighten even the gloomiest Monday morning as you bump into Francis and Maria tending the plants in the flower garden or pass a classroom full of learners talking excitedly to one another. I regularly get talking to someone in the café and hear just a snippet of what the Centre means to them and it is that which will keep me going for 26.2 miles.

Which brings me onto the second part of my challenge – I am looking for five enthusiastic fundraisers to join my Brighton Marathon team for 2014! As a team we will support each other through the training, share our top tips and keep each other motivated. It is going to be fun, we will explore London together, our neighbourhoods and discover new places. We will put our mental and physical strength to the test and we will realise that we can do so much more than we thought possible.

A marathon is more than 26.2miles – it is a bringing together of people of different backgrounds, abilities and ages. It is sharing an experience with 1000's of people you have never met and who are undertaking the same challenge for all different reasons. This is what makes a marathon amazing!

Together we will take on the Brighton Marathon on behalf of the Bromley by Bow Centre!

If you are interested in joining my Brighton Marathon team let me know by commenting below or emailing me on:Jasmine.Morris@bbbc.org.uk