2020 has been a marathon in itself, with lots of ups and downs and phases of pushing through the pain barrier. COVID-19 has made fundraising in particular a challenge, not just for BetterDayz, but for all charities.
Every year, James will run a half or full marathon to raise funds and awareness for charity. Running provides the perfect platform for a fundraiser. But from as early as April this year, running events all over the world were being cancelled or postponed, and although we were optimistic that the pandemic would be under control by the end of September, the Wachau Marathon 2020 also fell victim.
Undeterred, James committed to putting his training to good use and decided to run his own marathon. The local Wienerwaldsee Lake lends itself perfectly to such an event, since one lap is 4.2km, which means completing 10 laps of the lake is equal to a full marathon distance. So the date for the inaugural “BetterDayz Marathon” has been set for 10am on Sunday, 11 October.
A small team of supporters, including James’ coach Sissi and Bowen therapist Anika, have kindly offered to give up their time to cheer James on and offer support. A couple of local runners will also join James for parts of the course to offer encouragement and keep his spirits up! We are grateful to everyone involved for making this small event happen.
If you cannot be there in person, you can show your support by making a small donation. We have set up a GoGetFunding page to make things easier. Simply go to
https://gogetfunding.com/betterdayz-for-education/
Thank you for supporting BetterDayz and helping to educate young people in Sierra Leone.
Stay safe, stay healthy.
James & Valerie