JustGiving blog

We are proud to present a guest post from John Hibbs, a determined marathon runner with a mission to raise awareness and funds for Lupus, despite personal challenges. He has kindly shared some lessons he has learned along the way when training for the marathon including top tips for successful fundraising. As if that wasn’t enough, he will be taking on the London Marathon this year too – you can show your support on his fundraising page here.

Deciding to run the Virgin London Marathon was an easy decision for me knowing I’d be running to support my sister in her battle against Lupus. But I also knew it would be the greatest challenge of my life. After a promising start to a career in football, I was hampered by a knee injury before finally being diagnosed with arthritis and forced to call it a day.

Now 13 years on, despite my dodgy knees, I am preparing for my second consecutive London Marathon and I have no intention of it being my last.

Every minute of the VLM 2010 was enjoyable. Right from the very start there were well wishers cheering us on. Shouting words of support, playing music, clapping and honking. Their spirit drove us on. Team Hibbsy had taken position at 5 miles and, as we saw them cheering, we knew that we could do this. We settled into a steady pace and used the strategy that we had rehearsed time and again in training. We were comfortable and enjoying the journey.

My top training tips

• Start slowly! In the early days of my training I was running less than a mile.

• Don’t increase the miles quickly, this is likely to cause injury!

• Listen to your body, don’t be afraid to change the schedule.  If you need an extra rest day, take it!

• Rest days are just as important as running days.

• Record your runs. I use a Garmin 310XT GPS watch to record all my stats. It helps me monitor my fitness and keeps me motivated. It is always a topic of conversation with people to see how many miles I’ve done and it often leads to a sponsor!

• Picture the race during your training runs. Many times I’ve been in tears on the treadmill at the gym as I pictured myself crossing the finish line and seeing my sister!

My top fundraising tips

• Start fundraising as soon as you can! JustGiving is an integral part of my fundraising and is so easy! I’m addicted to the coin jingle on my JG iPhone app!

• Clearly detail how you are raising money and how the money you raise will be spent. A big seller in my fundraising is that money goes directly to funding a specialist Lupus nurse!

• Use social media sites such as Facebook & Twitter. They are all great ways to reach people. I have a great following of people on Facebook & Twitter who are always sharing my links with their friends, which has resulted in sponsors from as far away as Canada! JustGiving’s Facebook app is great for doing this.

• Create a Blog! People really enjoy following my story to see how I’m getting on. It creates a connection between them and the charity.

• Publicise through your work’s intranet/newsletter.  They may also offer to match your funds!

• Take pictures of your events and send press releases to your local papers.  They are always keen for local stories with a good picture!

• Get out and meet your local community! I hold curry nights, raffles, tombolas and car boot sales and so many people come and offer their support!

Fundraising isn’t hard, it just takes some energy, a little time and a big smile on your face!

So far Team Hibbsy have raised over £12,000 and, as well as raising funds, we are committed to raising awareness to increase the chance of vital early diagnosis in new Lupus patients.

Be All You Can Be.

John Hibbs – Lupus Runner

www.lupusrunners.co.uk

Tags: Facebook, Fundraising Tips, iphone, london virgin marathon, lupus, Marathon, Runners, training tips, twitter