Cambridge Half Marathon 2024
Saturday, 2 March, 2024
This Sunday, members of the Pembroke community will be pounding the tarmac and cobbles, running the 2024 TTP Cambridge Half Marathon.
A fast and (unsurprisingly) flat course that diverts through several colleges, the route goes past Pembroke’s front gate twice, once approaching the five-mile mark and then on the way back at around 11.5 miles.
For some of us, the idea of running 13 miles seems outlandish and intimidating, but five members of the Pembroke community spoke about what has motivated them to run.
Lincoln Booth (2022, EMBA)
Lincoln is one of 17 Executive MBA students running the Cambridge Half Marathon this year to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Trust in support of one of their colleagues, Paru Naik (Clare Hall).
Multiple Sclerosis is a cause that’s close to Lincoln’s heart, so he will also be running in support of his closest friend back in Australia.
Lincoln also ran last year’s race with members of his cohort, in aid of the NSPCCm after a life-changing talk by adventurer David Tait, who explained his support for the NSPCC in heart-breaking detail.
He says of this year’s race, “My goals are to support my EMBA colleagues as they invariably pass me, and to pat my chest as I run past Judge and Pembroke on Trumpington. Last year, a very helpful (and nameless!) Pembroke Porter recognised me… and encouraged me to “speed up”. 😊
For Lincoln, tomorrow is a doubly challenging day as it’s the deadline for his dissertation and “marks the beginning of the end of our Cambridge EMBA journey…Motivation enough to just keep running…”
Lincoln's Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/paru-naik-1707143861927
Pasidu Perera (2022, Economics)
Pasidu is running in memory of his friend, Shiv Mistry. Shiv had a place at Clare to study Medicine but had an allergic reaction while celebrating the end of his A-Level exams and died of an anaphylactic shock.
Pasidu is raising money for Shiv’s Legacy, which he helped to found. It raises money for Anaphylaxis UK and “other worthwhile endeavours which will also aid people that have allergies and anaphylaxis by proactively using mobile and other technology.” He is the developer of an app which standardises the communication of allergies. Already available on Apple, he hopes to release it on Android soon and will present his idea at the Parmee Prize competition on 14 March.
He didn’t previously enjoy running, but the training has had other benefits. “Since I was a kid, I have hated running. Since coming to Pembroke, I have tried so many new sports, including badminton, rowing, rock climbing, and dance! Now that I play so much more sport, including badminton for the College, I wanted to work on my physical endurance, and hence, running felt like the relevant progression to make!” Indeed, in September, he plans to run a full marathon with school friends in memory of Shiv.
Pasidu's Gofundme page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ffnau-shiv-mistry
Michael Pritchard (Corporate Partnership Programme Senior Coordinator)
Although he is a keen runner, the Cambridge Half Marathon is Michael’s first-ever race and only the second time he’s run this distance.
“I am running the Cambridge Half Marathon to raise money for a cause that is very close to my heart and deeply important. For more than 40 years, Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre has been committed to providing free specialist support to women and girls across Cambridgeshire who have been subjected to sexual violence and abuse.
“Right now, they are seeing more local women and girls reaching out for support than ever before, and there has been a huge increase in need and demand for the specialist emotional, therapeutic and advocacy support services they provide. With current trial waiting times for those who pursue justice at an all-time high, their support is vital and has a huge impact on those trying to navigate their way through the system.”
Despite the sometimes-inclement weather, Michael has enjoyed the training, possibly helped by covering slightly hillier terrain when he stayed with his family over Christmas. He’s trained after work, alone, “so it is going to be a very different experience running in the morning with hundreds of other people!”
He’s aiming for around two hours but is “definitely dreading the Grantchester Loop. I tend to run very squiggly routes to break up the monotony of straight lines, so I am not looking forward to that! But armed with a packet of Jelly Babies, I am sure I can pull through…”
Micahel's Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/michael-pritchard-1701114414093
Moira Hassett (Post-Graduate Administrator)
“I’m running…because I first did it ten years ago and thought it would be a good thing to do on turning 60.”
This is Moira’s fourth Cambridge Half Marathon; she also ran it in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Keen to enter her sixties in peak fitness, she decided to give it another go. Three running sessions and two jazzercise sessions a week have brought her to the start line in tip-top condition and she's hoping to complete the race in just under two hours.
Josh Morris-Blake (HSPS, 2021)
Final-year undergraduate Josh is potentially Pembroke’s speediest runner, with a target of 1:25:00.
Put simply: “I like running, I like racing.”
Cambridge can be a tough event to secure a place for, so Josh volunteered at last year’s race, guaranteeing his place in 2024.
Minor knee niggles and occasional bouts of laziness have disrupted training, but he’s still confident: “Accumulating distance is manageable; remembering to stretch sufficiently before and after running is another question.”
While he cheekily suggests that one motivation is the free energy gels handed out at the four refuelling points, he’s mentally prepared for what’s ahead, drily saying, “A bigger challenge will be finding employment after finishing my HSPS degree.”
And what’s going to get him through those last few miles? “I’m planning to run through them.”
Good luck to Lincoln, Pasidu, Michael, Moira, Josh, and all the other members of the Pembroke community running tomorrow!