Runners and walkers from across the dental community have braved tough conditions on the hottest weekend of the year to raise more than £30,000 for Dentaid The Dental Charity as part of Dentistry’s Big Community Challenge.
More than 60 competitors took part in the 100km London 2 Brighton Ultra Challenge on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May.
Those taking part could choose between three different distances, the full 100km, a 42-kilometre marathon distance and a 25km loop starting and finishing at Brighton Racecourse.
Competitors faced challenging terrain and conditions on the route as temperatures climbed to highs of 29° C. Day one of the event began in Richmond and continued through the suburbs of the capital before crossing into Surrey and the North Downs. finished at Tulleys Farm near Crawley with 58km completed.
The second day saw runners faced with a full marathon distance of 42km along the South Downs Way before they arrived to a rapturous welcome at the finishing line in Brighton.
Money raised will support our work providing care for people experiencing homelessness, harm, poverty and abuse across the UK on Dentaid’s twelve mobile dental units.
Thomas Highlands of FMC, one of those who completed the full 100km distance, said after the event: “This was one of the toughest physical and mental challenges I’ve taken on. There were moments of exhaustion, doubt, and seriously sore legs, but also incredible support along the way. Running for Dentaid made it even more meaningful.”
Mark Allan, General Manager of Bupa Dental Care and Joe Lovett, owner of Catalyst Sales and Marketing, helped to get the project started with the aim of bringing teams from across the dental sector together with a shared goal.
Mark Allan added: “It was an incredible experience – both getting to the finish line and seeing how the whole dental industry came together and cheered each other on to raise money for such a great cause.”
While the main event may have been completed, dental professionals and practices can still get the chance to participate in their own running and walking challenges as part of Dentistry’s Big Community Challenge. The ‘Walk Your Way’ option remains open to submissions between now and the end of June.
To donate to Dentistry’s Big Community Challenge and support Dentaid, please visit the event JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/dentistrys-big-community-challenge-for-dentaid.
More details about Walk Your Way can be found on the Dentaid website at https://www.dentaid.org/big-community-challenge/
