I sat down to interview Katherine Rutherford, a 39 year-old mum of two, who raised a whopping £650 for Power2Inspire when she ran the Cambridge half-marathon last month. Katherine enjoys running with her friends, and really wanted a race to run. So when a group of her pals signed up for the Cambridge half-marathon, she reasoned that
‘Cambridge is flat so would therefore be a good one to do!’,
and decided to follow suit, beginning a 12-week training course in anticipation of the big event.
Despite the fact that one of the friends that she was training with got injured two weeks into the programme, Katherine said that the training structure really worked for her, as she bought into the mental aspect of the consistent running timetable. Two weeks in, on holiday on the south coast, she was running along beaches, as she strived to achieve her goal. Originally, she planned that the six week mark would be the last point at which she might pull out, yet come September the trainers were still on as she got ever closer to the 21 kilometre run!
The week before the big day, Katherine, starting to believe that she was really going to do it, started looking for ways to raise money. She said that it was
‘important to her that she supported a smaller charity’,
and so investigated Power2Inspire. She was struck by the tangible impact her money could have on the running of events such as the PowerHouseGames.
The fact that this charity is based around inclusive sport was also a fundamental reason as to why Katherine chose Power2Inspire. Katherine’s niece is a skilled competing gymnast, and has a type of visual impairment. Katherine could see the confidence that competing against non-impaired participants gave her niece, and how it helped her socially, whilst helping her to grow and develop her love and skill for gymnastics. Katherine shared on Facebook and Instagram that she would be running a half-marathon for Power2Inspire, explaining the importance of the charity to her. She said
‘I was astounded as I raised quite a lot of money!’
On race day, family and friends were at mile four cheering her on. Katherine praised the atmosphere of the race, as she had not accounted for the fun and the emotion that came with the banging of drums, or the motivation of the crowd – as people came out in their droves to support the runners. Katherine even said she briefly felt ‘famous’ as onlookers shouted her name, motivating her to complete the race.
The beauty of the run through Cambridge and the support given by the crowds was one of the key reasons as to why Katherine said she would recommend this fundraising experience to other people. But even more than that, it was about making herself proud. She proved to herself that
‘going from running 5k to 21k in that time is something you can do’,
regardless of the fact that she wasn’t the sportiest at school.
When asked why inclusive sport is so important, Katherine summed it up perfectly.
‘It adds to a person’s confidence, it helps them to feel part of a team, and it helps them to feel proud of themselves’.
Katherine’s fundraising money, along with that from the whole Power2Inspire team below will be indispensable in allowing us to host events in which inclusive sport can take place, to ensure that everybody is involved, and that nobody gets left on the bench.
We want to say a big thank you to Katherine and all our amazing volunteers from the Cambridge Half Marathon 2021. You can read more about the event by clicking the image above.
Inspired? Then Get Involved!
If you would like to support us in our mission to “embed inclusive sport in the sporting, education and community landscapes” then we would love to hear from you. We are always looking out for people willing to fundraise for Power2Inspire through their own inspiring means. Or, you could volunteer at one of our events, or you could give to the ongoing work of Power2Inspire. Click the button here to find out more.
