Last month TV favourite Davina McCall completed a 500-mile swim, bike and run challenge from Edinburgh to London. She did well – even after a freezing dip in Lake Windermere – but I can’t help feeling that she stole my thunder.
You see, late last year there was a conversation in the EG office surrounding this year’s inaugural MIPIM UK that started with an idea to host a run from Westfield Stratford to Westfield London, which sits close to Olympia, the host venue for MIPIM UK. It ended with an idea to showcase the UK properly by me running and cycling between many of this country’s main cities.
Along the way we’ll be running features (excuse the pun) on projects, occupiers and issues affecting the UK. And as we’ll be raising money for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (see box), we’ll also be visiting some of the projects the charity supports.
The MIPIM UK Challenge is a 1,100-mile, 15-day endurance event that will see me – deputy editor/head of content at EG and marginal fitness nutter – traverse the UK by foot or by bike. Starting in Edinburgh on 1 October, I will snake my way down the country visiting major regional cities, property hotspots and DofE projects. Anything under 50 miles is a run, anything over a cycle. Each stage must be completed within a day.
Day one starts with a 43-mile run from Edinburgh to Glasgow – a feat in itself – followed the next day by a circa 160-mile ride to Newcastle. From Newcastle it is a 100-mile ride to Leeds, then a 40-mile run into Manchester.
After 340+ miles I’ll have a rest day before setting off on a short 33-mile trot over to Liverpool. From there it is 85 miles to Sheffield, 95 miles to Birmingham and 123 miles to Cardiff – all by bike.
Then a short day crossing over to Bristol (I’m counting this as a rest day!) before the last few big bike days – 140 miles from Bristol to Plymouth, 170 miles from Plymouth to Southampton then one more rest day before the 85 miles into London. The final day – the first day of MIPIM UK – will see me running a marathon through the streets of London.
So 1,100 miles, 15 days, 13 cities, one nutter.
But why do I need to tell you about this? Simple. I want to be able to tell a great story about our industry and our country as I run and cycle through it. I am looking for big interviews, projects to showcase, stories to tell.
Preparations are in the early stages, but a number of major companies have already pledged their support, including Premier Inn, Hammerson, Brookfield Multiplex, Capital & Counties, CBRE, Citygrove and Cardiff Business Council. Sponsorship packages will soon be available, so please contact Nick Hanmer at Cycle To, which is organising this epic challenge, at nick@cycle-to.org to find out more.
Please do get in touch if you’d like to be involved – be that with interview opportunities, projects, a willingness to sponsor, or even to join me for one, 10 or even 100 miles.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is all about challenge. As a charity its aim is to help create a world where young people can reach their full potential, whatever their circumstances.
The DofE seeks to be a young person’s passport to a better job and a better life by helping them to achieve personal challenges through volunteering and engaging in expeditions.
The charity has helped more than 2m young people from all backgrounds since 1956 and is keen to increase the number of people starting the DofE each year from 218,000 to 300,000 by its diamond jubilee in 2016. To find out more, visit www.dofe.org.
samantha.mcclary@estatesgazette.com
