Relay marathon at St Albans school raises money for running track

The children at Camp School, in Camp Road, ran the relay marathon on Friday, April 21, inspired by the St Albans starshot marathon in January.

Parent Julianne Nightingale, who runs the after-school running club, organised the event to enthuse the children ahead of the London Marathon on Sunday, as well as raising money for the new track. An all-weather running track will enable the children to do their daily mile whatever the weather and ground conditions.

Year 6 pupils Meeka Nightingale and William Houghton, who are the bronze sports ambassadors for the school, helped organise the event. Each child paid a donation to guess how long it would take them to complete the 26.2 mile run, and collected sponsorship.

During the run, each child did a lap of the school with a GPS timer attached to a baton, which was then passed on to the next child. The children managed to outdo most of their estimations, recording a total time of three hours, five minutes and 24 seconds.

Meeka said: “It was nice that our school did it together and everyone had a part to play. I loved the cheering because it motivated me on.

“It made me really think about how long a marathon is and I was excited about watching the London Marathon.”

Anna Robinson, in Year 5, said: “It was quite nerve-racking when you saw everyone else doing it and you wanted to cheer them on but you also wanted to save your energy. When it was your turn to run, you wanted to do your best because this was your chance.”

Prizes for the event were donated by Perfect Balance Physiotherapists and St Albans Half Marathon.

Headteacher Sharon Barton said: “The Camp marathon was a really enjoyable event and a great opportunity for all the children in school, from nursery to Year 6, to work together to achieve a goal.

“It was lovely to share with parents the children’s enthusiasm for running, the benefits of the daily mile and the need for our all weather running track.”