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Rob’s London Marathon Run in aide of The Captain Tom Foundation

Right Digital Solution are proudly supporting Rob Whaley, a valued member of the service team, as he runs the London marathon 2021 in aide of The Captain Tom Foundation on 3rd October.

The London Marathon first began in 1981 and covers all corners of London from Blackheath to The Mall. It is 26.6 miles long and has several different components including an elite element for professional sports men and woman, an elite level wheelchair race and the mass participation event, which Rob will be taking part in. Fundraising is a huge part of the London Marathon, over £1 billion has been raised for worthy causes since its inception and the 2019 a whopping £66.4 million was raised, a record amount for a single days fundraising event.

We are so proud to have a member of the RDS team competing in this event and we want to help him raise as much money as possible for The Captain Tom Foundation.

Rob Whaley has worked as a field service engineer for RDS for the past 11 years and is usually out and about providing outstanding customer service delivery directly to our clients. As an avid runner, Rob has completed the monstrous London Marathon twice before (2018 & 2019) finishing the last race in a staggering 3hrs 38minutes.

Rob, who lives Marston Moretaine – the same village that Captain Tom did, was only approached by The Foundation at the end of August to take part in this year’s London Marathon and with only 6 weeks to train the 2021 race is shaping up to be his hardest challenge yet. However, proving his athletic prowess, Rob successfully ran the Great North Run last weekend in just 1hour 35minutes.

“I run just over 5 miles two to three times a week, but 26.6 miles is significantly more and requires a fairly intense amount of training between then and now. Previously I allowed myself just over four months to prepare for the marathon, 6weeks is tough but I am up for the challenge, and I think I can do it for The Captain Tom Foundation.” Rob said.

Captain Sir Tom Moore galvanised the nation during the first lockdown in 2020 by completing his 100th birthday walk which consisted of 100 lengths of his 25-meter garden to raise money for the NHS. His spirit and determination led to widespread media coverage, and he became a source of national pride at a time of widespread uncertainty and grave sadness.

Captain Tom initially set out to raise £1,000 for the NHS but as the news spread of his heroic effort so did the total and in the end the World War II hero raised over £39.9 million (including gift aid), a record for a single Just Giving Campaign.

Sadly, in February this year Captain Sir Tom Moore passed away leaving behind his two daughters, Lucy Teixeira and Hannah Ingham-Moore, who launched The Foundation to ensure Tom’s message of hope becomes his lasting legacy. The sole focus of the team is to raise as much money as possible for their charity partners which include Mind, Royal British Legion, Helen & Douglas House and Willen Hospice.

On Monday 16th August the foundation was contacted by The Virgin Money London Marathon to see whether they would like 3 entry places to the event, however in order to secure them they only had a day to find the runners and confirm their attendance. With the event being such a fantastic fund-raising opportunity, it was a race against time to find the runners to take part.

The local community, who had provided such a swell of support for Captain Tom’s original walk, were ready and waiting to help once again. The village running club, of which Rob is a member, immediately jumped at the chance and put forward three representatives who were willing race and continue to raise awareness of the good work of The Captain Tom Foundation.

“To be completely honest, it was an honour to be asked to represent The Captain Tom Foundation at the London Marathon and I simply couldn’t say no. I remember the entire village and subsequently the rest of the county, was so immensely proud of his achievements during that first lockdown and I feel that this is a way to say thanks to him and all of his efforts”

“His enthusiasm and strength of character remains an inspiration to me and I think it will provide a lot of motivation when running the actual course, I hope it is a fitting tribute for the great man and all that he achieved in his life.” Rob concluded.

Following Rob’s place confirmation, he informed his colleagues at Right Digital Solutions in order raise as much sponsorship money as possible.

RDS Chairman, Paul Gillett, said “I distinctly remember Captains Tom’s 100th walk for the NHS and feeling moved. It was at time where it was very difficult feel unity and cohesion, which is crucial when you are trying to run a business. Captain Toms efforts provided a source of national unity. The whole nation was united in his efforts and his achievement brought a sense of togetherness at a time of great loneliness.”

Paul continued “The business is always keen to support collegues with their extracurricular endeavours and I am delighted that we have an RDS representative running the London Marathon this year and even more proud that Rob is running it for such a worthwhile cause.”

Right Digital Solutions would like to wish the very best of luck to Rob and his running team mates as they embark on their training and subsequent race. We are so proud to have such selfless people who are always willing to go above and beyond to help here at RDS and we will be cheering him on and supporting his fundraising efforts, throughout.

To donate to please visit: Rob Liam Tracey is fundraising for The Captain Tom Foundation (justgiving.com)