Esme's first marathon - running for Base51

January 2024, I'd barely run for 60 seconds before, and one year later, I'm now on marathon training!

On the 27th April 2025, I'll be running Manchester Marathon.

Since it seems pretty stupid to run a whole marathon (26.2 miles) purely for my own silly ego, I've chosen to use it to fundraise for the charity Base51, who support teens in Nottingham, providing counselling, support, youth spaces/club, and more.

I've already paid for my marathon place independently, so any donations will go entirely to supporting the work of the charity (not paying for my place to run). So I would really appreciate your support in donating towards a good cause doing some great work in Nottingham!

For my Nottingham friends - a marathon is the equivalent of running from Sherwood high street, up to Mansfield, and back again.

For my Heathrow colleagues - it's running around the perimeter of Heathrow airport three times.

Basically, it's really far (and it seems like a pretty stupid thing to do).

But, life can feel pretty hard when you're in your teens, so I'm excited to make all this training worth it by supporting a good cause, and hope you can support me in this!

A bit more about Base51:

"Did you know Nottingham has the highest levels of youth violence per 100,000 people in England?

That in 2018 it was ranked the worst place to be a young person in the UK (Youth Opportunities Index)?

Or that 1 in 6 young people in England (aged 5 to 16) experienced a mental health problem in 2020, up from 1 in 9 in 2017?

Base 51 is here to help.

Base 51 charity has been running for over 30 years, providing life changing support young people aged 11-24 in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. They provide counselling, specialist trauma support for those affected by violent crime and exploitation, a LGBTQIA+ group and a Youth Club. Their youth centre is a safe space in Nottingham City Centre, where young people know they can find support."

https://www.base51.org/