On Sunday, 10 November at 09:30, we started our half-marathon and 10K races in Victoria Park. Dino and I had encouraged the rest of our friends to take up running for its many benefits. About a month before our race, we convinced Arun to sign up for the 10K. Arun later encouraged Prabhdeep and Jeevan to join as well.

The inspiration for this half-marathon came from our Head of Year, Miss Forrest, who shared her experience running a half-marathon during an assembly. Her story of grit and discipline motivated us, and right after the assembly, we decided to start preparing for the challenge.

Since the race was on the other side of London, we woke up around 05:30 and travelled by tube to get there. The race was a huge success, with months of training paying off as each of us reached our personal goals. Dino finished the half-marathon in under 2 hours, while I completed it in 1 hour and 48 minutes. Prabhdeep, Jeevan, and Arun also successfully completed their first 10K races.

We believe running is valuable for everyone — students and teachers alike. Just like exams, running requires consistent effort and genuine dedication to achieve great results. We hope our experience inspires others to take up running and maybe even try a half-marathon or do their first 5 or 10K race, just as Miss Forrest’s story inspired us.