Actualités
LONDON 2024 MARATHON // THE BULGARIAN ADVENTURE
Dear Friends / Family / Network
I am very pleased to confirm that I successfully completed the 42km course of the London Marathon on Sunday April 21st. I was one of 21 Bulgarians who gained entry to the race this year, and as you can see from the images in this email, I proudly wore the Bulgarian colours and crossed the finish line in front of Buckingham Palace with the national flag raised above my head!
There are so many stories and images of this journey that I could share with you. My selected highlights are given with supporting pictures below.
Fundraising / Awareness
As the Chair of the Trustees of The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Bulgaria I ran for the Award here in Bulgaria to coincide with its 10th Anniversary in 2024.
The Award has given millions of young people around the world a route to explore and develop the skills to thrive, empowering them to take control of their future. Here in Bulgaria, the award continues to provide a growing number of young people with the opportunity to harness the skills and qualities that will help them throughout their lives.
I am pleased to say that as of today I have reached 2,385 GBP (5,500 BGN). Many thanks to those who have donated so far, this is 117% of my original target.
There is still an opportunity to donate further by CLICKING ON THE IMAGE BELOW.
MY 2024 LONDON MARATHON STORY
Before
On visiting the ‘Marathon Expo’ in east London a few days before the race I wore my traditional Bulgarian costume. I had a few interested looks as I wandered amongst the thousands of runners registering and collecting their running number and soaking up the pre-marathon Atmosphere.
Later that day Mr Krassimir Kiriakov of the Bulgarian Embassy in London kindly hosted an informal meeting where he and his colleagues listened intensely to my unique story of running for Bulgaria in the country of my birth.
During
The race from start to finish was a most memorable occasion. The weather was perfect (around 13 degrees and cloudy), the organization at all levels was superb, and aside from the great views that London has to offer a personal highlight was the supportive crowds – when they saw the writing on my running shirt they continuously shouted, ‘Come on Bulgaria’.
One memorable man at around 20km with a traditional British Pint of beer in his hand shouted… ‘българия, как си’ – I shouted back immediately with ‘много добре, а ти’ – he concluded by raising his beer in the air! This was the true spirit of the London Marathon.
After
Many thanks to all those who supported me on this memorable journey.
- The friends, family and colleagues who provided words of support and encouragement – you fueled my inspiration!
- To Mr Krassimir Kiriakov and his team at the Bulgarian embassy.
- Cristina and her husband for joining me at the start.
- Megan Branch and her friend who made a great effort to meet me somewhere after 35km.
- To my wife Sharon and our friends Sarah and Darren for their great support all round the course,
- To the team at the Duke of Edinburgh International Award both in Bulgaria and in London. In particular to Sam who joined me at the Bulgarian Embassy, you made the meeting a great engagement for the DOE.
- To Nadya for identifying and sourcing the Patriotic running kit and costume warn before, during and after the race.
- To my Fitness and Nutrition coach Bryony for her ongoing support in getting me into my best shape for almost 20 years (https://www.instagram.com/body_by_b_/)
- To Julia Mason my Physio for her ongoing support in managing my legs!
- To www.andrewlunnphotography.com for the great photos taken during the race. Andrew tracked me down and found me on the embankment around 40km.
- And to www.marianastoichkova.com for her fantastic post race photos taken at the most iconic of Sofia sites. I can highly recommend Mariana to my Bulgarian network for her professionalism and great eye for detail..
I will now start to wind down this incredible journey as I collect the remainder of the donations. My work with the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Bulgaria will continue. As the chair of the board of trustees, we have some exiting times ahead here in Bulgaria. I am privileged to be involved with an organization that can and will influence the lives of so many of our youth as they prepare themselves for the future.
My next challenge is to continue with my ‘Bulgarian 56 Peaks Challenge’ for which I will have an exciting announcement to make during 2024 [watch this space for news on this intriguing twist].
Like many in Bulgaria I am now switching off for a few days as we embrace the unique timing this year of a public holiday plus the Orthodox Easter Weekend break.
Wishing you all…… Честит Великден
Kind Regards
Tony McMurray (Тони Макмъри) FCMA CGMA | Chair | The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award - Bulgaria Foundation
