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David Weir at the start of the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon.
PARALYMPIANS RECEIVE GRANTS
FROM LONDON MARATHON EVENTS
Great Britain’s three entrants for the
marathon at the 2016 Paralympic Games
in Rio de Janeiro have each been
awarded a £5,000 training grant from
London Marathon Events Ltd.
David Weir, Simon Lawson and Derek
Rae have been given the financial boost
after their places in the GB team for Rio
were confirmed.
It follows similar £5,000 grants given
out by London Marathon Events Ltd to
Callum and Derek Hawkins, Tsegai
Tewelde, Alyson Dixon and Sonia
Samuels, who all ran in marathon events
at the Rio Olympics.
British Paralympic legend David Weir,
who was third in the wheelchair race at
this year’s Virgin Money London
Marathon, was delighted with the grant
and said the support given to him by
London Marathon Events Ltd would be
vital in the countdown to Rio.
He said: ‘I would like to thank
everyone at London Marathon Events
Ltd for their continued support over the
past few years and this grant is another
example of that.’
Weir, who became the first man to
break the three-minute barrier for the
mile at the Vitality Westminster Mile in
May, will be looking to add to his six
Paralympic gold medals in Brazil.
Joining Weir in the wheelchair race in Rio
will be Simon Lawson, who was 10th at
this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon.
Lawson said: ‘It is a great honour to
be named in the GB team for Rio and
this grant will be a massive help towards
training leading up to the Games.’
Derek Rae will be competing in the
T46 class event in Rio and is coming off
the back of a personal best (PB) run at
this year’s Virgin Money London
Marathon where his time of 2:37:28 was
good enough to finish fifth in his
category.
Rae said: ‘I’m really grateful for the
training grant and continue to be
humbled by the support I receive from
everyone. This grant will significantly
assist me with my training costs and
allow me to continue to focus on
running better and better. I really
appreciate that London Marathon Events
continues to be supportive of my
endeavours.’
The 2016 Paralympics take place
from 7-18 September. Get ready for the
intense excitement of 23 Paralympic
sports. 528 events over the course of
11 days of competition will yield 225
medals for women, 265 for men and
38 mixed medals.
www.rio2016.com
ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET…
STAMPEDE!
ZSL London Zoo is calling on
runners of all abilities to put their best
foot forward and sign up for the ZSL 10k
Stampede on 18 September.
Due to popular demand, international
conservation charity will be holding its
second Stampede of the year for runners
who want to work up a sweat to help
wildlife.
Whether as a warm-up for an
upcoming race, a zoo-per setting to
attempt a new personal best or simply a
fun run with amazing scenery, ZSL’s
Stampede has something for everyone.
The wildest 10km run in London will
see herds of runners pick up their pace
in the Zoo before heading out to tackle
the wilds of Regent’s Park.
Spaces are available for people of all
abilities, to chase and prowl their way
around the Zoo, taking in some of the
world’s most incredible animals as they
go, including ring-tailed lemurs,
meerkats and monkeys.
In April, the stampeding herd raised
more than £29,000 for wildlife
conservation, and organisers hope to
see runners once again help to raise
vital donations for ZSL’s global work for
wildlife.
Spaces are available to book now, so
race to www.zsl.org/stampede by midday
on Saturday 17 September to secure a
place in the pack.
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e