Registration
Q: Is my registration fee refundable?
If you register with Sense and also apply for a ballot place, your registration fee with Sense will be refunded if you are awarded a ballot place.
Your registration fee is not refundable, however should you not be able to run for any reason, your registration fee will be valid for the following year or it can be transferred to any other marathon for which Sense has guaranteed places.
Fundraising
Q: What is the minimum amount of money I need to raise for Sense, and must I raise this before the actual day of the marathon?
A: You need to raise a minimum of £1,400. You can raise this through asking family, friends, colleagues, and local companies for sponsorship, as well as organising fundraising events such as pub quizzes, coffee mornings, 5-aside football matches etc. We do encourage you to raise as much money as possible early on, as collecting sponsorship after the day can often be difficult. The deadline for you to send your money in will be the end of July 2008.
Q: Can I go round knocking on people’s doors asking for them to sponsor me?
No. You cannot carry out door to door collections. This requires a collecting licence, and will probably clash will collections that Sense are already carrying out in your region. You can do collections on private premises such as supermarkets, as long as you get their permission before hand.
Q: Can I carry out a raffle to raise monies?
A: You can only carry out a raffle if you sell tickets and draw prize numbers on the same day. Otherwise you need to get a licence, and this is a very complicated procedure. We recommend you do a raffle in conjunction with another event, so tickets can be sold to those attending your fundraising event and then the prizes drawn at the end of the event. More details regarding raffles and other fundraising events can be found in your welcome pack.
Q: What help will Sense give me with fundraising?
A: The Sense Marathon Team are on hand to give you all the support and advice you require. They can provide you with fundraising materials such as collecting tins, balloons, posters etc and will send you a fundraising pack with lots of ideas and suggestions to get you started. They are also at the end of the phone if you need to have a chat about your fundraising.
Running and training
Q: Will I be able to meet other members of the Sense team before marathon day?
Yes, Sense will be holding training days, where you can meet other participants and get tips from the experts on training and nutrition.
You can also enter the Silverstone Half Marathon in March. This will be a great opportunity for you to meet other team members, as well as gaining the valuable experience of running in a crowd under race conditions.
The race will also allow you to meet to other Sense runners; you will be able to pool your training and fundraising knowledge and offer each other support. You could even find out if someone lives near you and then you could train together!
Q: Do I need to be in London before the Sunday 26 April for any reason?
A: Yes, you will need to register at the Flora London Marathon Exhibition. This will run from Wednesday 23 April to Saturday 25 April 2009 in the Excel Center near Canary Wharf. You will need come in person and sign for your running number. If you cannot make it in person, please notify us as other arrangements will need to be made. Details of the exhibition will be sent to you nearer the time or visit the website for more information.
Q: Should I go running if I have an injury?
A: No. You should rest up. If you don’t you will delay your recovery and possibly cause more permanent damage. Maybe do a less intensive form of exercise like swimming until you have recovered. If you think you may be unable to run on Marathon day please notify us.
And finally…
Q: If I am experiencing difficulties with my training or my fundraising what should I do?
A: Call Sense! If you have any questions or are having any difficulties please do not hesitate to email or call the Sense Flora London Marathon Team on 0845 1270 063 .
We are here to help you; we have lots of fundraising experience and will be able to give you lots of information, advice and support. Whatever the problem we will do our best to help.
