MAY 2019 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 095RACE
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What is the Impact
Marathon Series?
‘I set out to create a set of
races around the world –
currently Nepal, Malawi,
Guatemala, Colombia and
Kenya – to bring the
running community
together to tackle, in a
small way, some of the
social issues the world is
facing today.’How does it work?
‘Each race is part of a week-
long event that focuses on
two of the 17 UN Global
Goals (such as clean water,RUNNING FOR OTHERS
MAKING AN IMPACT
We run for the love of the sport, but running can do so
much more. Just ask Nick Kershaw, founder of the
Impact Marathon Series, which aims to change lives
education for all, no
hunger and so on) chosen
by the local community.
We support those goals
with fundraising and have
all our Impact Runners
living in an athletes’ village
nearby. Each day we
either visit projects or
get down and dirty with
project work itself. On
the final day, we bring
everyone together from
the community and host
10K, 21K and 42K trail
races, winding through
the communities we have
been supporting.’What inspired you
to set it up?
‘Often, with charitable
endeavours, a friend
secures a fundraising place
in a big marathon, we take
out our credit card and
donate – and that’s it. We
wanted people to really
understand the difference
they, as individuals, can
make in the world – to see
and feel at first hand the
work these grass-roots
organisations are doing,
the challenges they face,
the lives they change.’What’s in it for entrants?
‘There’s a dual answer to
that: the races alone force
you to dig deep. They are
trail races, sometimes hot
and sandy like Malawi;
Nepal is cold and at
altitude; Guatemala goes
up an active volcano and
through lava fields – so
these races are unique.
Then there are the projects:
by working with grass-
roots organisations we
are able to not only help
people see themselves in
a new light and question
things they had previously
never considered – but
they get to interact with aAs the Impact
Marathon website
says, ‘You come for
the running, you
return for the people.’
More than 350 runners
have already taken
part, with many
signing up for more
than one event. The
remaining races for
2019 are Malawi
(20-26 May), Kenya
(20-26 October) and
Nepal (11-17
November)country in a way that just
is not possible on any
other travel experience
I’ve come across.’What has it achieved?
‘In terms of fundraising, in
three years and six races,
we have seen over
£620,000 raised for
amazing organisations. It’s
really special to see exactly
where and how that money
is used and the difference
it is making.
In terms of project work,
it was exciting recently to
visit our village in Nepal.
Three years ago we started
working with the villagers
to give them year-round
plumbed water. In year
one, this meant 80-odd
Impact Runners and 120
villagers digging 5km of
pipeline into a consistent
water source that doesn’t
run dry even during the
summer months. In year
two, we took that pipeline
down to three parts of the
village. Since then, the
villagers have finished it all
off and now every single
house in that village has a
metred tap with running
water. It’s unreal!’
Visit impactmarathon.com