Swashbuckling England all-rounder Ben Stokes will run his first ever half marathon on Tuesday (May 5) to raise funds for the Britain`s National Health Services (NHS) Charities Together and national childrens cricket charity Chance to Shine amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on his Instagram page, Stokes said that the farthest he had ever run was 8km. "A half marathon is always been something that I`ve thought about doing a but never really got around to ever doing it. Obviously we`ve been in lockdown so I thought what a great opportunity to go out and if I`m going to do it I might as well try and raise some funds," he added.
"I will be hopefully inspiring people to make some donations towards the Cricket Garden Marathon, I`m just trying to add some more funds to what they`ve managed to do. They are supporting NHS and are also supporting Chance to Shine which is obviously got a very close attachment to cricket, which is what I am. I`ve done absolutely no training, the longest distance that I`ve ever run is 8 kilometres. So, I don`t even know if I`m going to be able to complete it but hopefully I can. I`m sure if I get to a point where I feel like I can`t go on I know that I`m doing it for a good course and that will get me over the line," noted Stokes.
Chief Executive at Chance to Shine Laura Cordingley said: "For Ben to see their efforts and decide to support them is really amazing. I`m sure he could have raised a huge amount in his own name but to get behind their fundraising page is a really amazing gesture. I want to thank Ben for his support and wish him the very best of luck in his challenge."
Chance to Shine is a cricket charity that delivers cricket coaching sessions in several primary schools in England & Wales.
