Midlands’ runners Carl Watkins and Adam Bills have been selected from over 500,000 applicants to secure places in this year’s London marathon and raise money for Vistry’s charity of the year SSAFA, the oldest national tri-services military charity.
Adam Bills, Associate Development Director, and Carl Watkins, Technical Co-Ordinator at Vistry, the UK’s leading mixed-tenure developer, are excited to be representing their company at the world-famous marathon and raise funds for the Armed Forces charity.
Carl Watkins, Vistry’s Technical Co-Ordinator, said: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to run the London marathon. Having the opportunity to run with friends and raise some money for such a great charity is all the motivation I need. It’s good to keep having targets to work to in life, and physical accomplishments are my sort of challenge.”
It will be the first time both Carl and Adam have attempted to run a marathon. Carl hadn’t run for over 10 years until he started training last summer and started entering 10k runs to get back into shape.
Carl's running partner in crime, Adam Bills confesses that the London Marathon has always been a 'bucket list' event for him. Having previously run cross country at school and then progressed to half marathons, this will also be his first full marathon.
Adam Bills, Associate Development Director for Vistry, said: “I went to watch the race last year and the atmosphere was absolutely electric. I can't wait to experience it first hand and make every step count for SSAFA.”
The pair have the full support of their colleagues, many of whom will be cheering them on on the day.
Adam Daniels, Divisional Chair, Vistry Midlands and Yorkshire said: “I think the whole division is really proud of Carl and Adam for taking on this challenge and aiming to raise such a lot of money for the SSAFA. I don’t think people understand how much determination goes into training for and running a marathon and it reflects the level of dedication they show in their day jobs. I wish them all the luck in world, they are doing both the region and Vistry proud.”
Both Carl and Adam are committed to their training regimens, whether it's pounding the pavement or cranking up the tunes for that extra boost of energy. With every stride, Carl and Adam are aiming high, looking to raise over £2,500 each for SSAFA.