#oneHRC House Marathon – Slytherin 6k
I joined* the Hogwarts Running Club at the beginning of the year and so far I’ve completed the first two races held in 2016 – The Molly Weasley 5k and the Umbridge 13k. The third event of the year was The Half-Blood Price Half Marathon which I also signed up for and although I’ve received the medal the envelope remains unopened because I’ve yet to earn it. (The logistics of a half marathon on trails is harder than you would expect, but I will get to it).
When the last event (the #oneHRC House Marathon) was announced it was billed as a Marathon for all ages and abilities as the marathon distance was being split between four separate events. Each event would represent one of the four Hogwarts houses and each would benefit a different animal related cause.
The Hufflepuff 5k was going to help the Badger’s in the UK. The Slytherin 6k was helping injured snakes, turtles, and other reptiles. The Ravenclaw 10k would help build an aviary and the Gryffindor 21k was going towards Big Cat Rescue.
At the time, I was disappointed to see the price had increased two fold (due to the complexity of the medal) as there was no way could justify spending $50 USD to do an event, even if the proceeds went to four deserving charities and from that point I didn’t give the event much more thought, but a couple of weeks after the race was announced I filled in a Luna’s Fund sponsorship application.
The Luna’s Fund was created to give those experiencing a temporary financial issue the opportunity to submit themselves anonymously for sponsorship for an HRC event. You are only allowed three sponsorships per year, so please decide thoughtfully. You will be notified via email no later than one week before registration closes if you are sponsored. (Source)
I mean what’s the worst that could happen? I was already not going to do it …
Although during this race the sponsorship’s on offer were less than the number of applications, (which apparently is not usually the case) I was lucky enough to be one of the recipients this time around and my medals were waiting for me when I arrived home on Tuesday. (They are clearly marked, I never need to open them to know what they are).
So what else is there to do but get started on earning those medals (although once again the half marathon medal might have to sit in the envelope and wait … )
Last night I made my way to Cutty Grass Track, it’s one of my favorites to run as it’s not too technical (although can be particularly muddy) but overall is a relatively easy way to get in an 8k run. I initially thought I may turn around at the 3k mark, as I’d planned on earning the Slytherin 6k (and I was even wearing green) but I was having such a “nice run” that I just carried onto the end of the track and then turned around.
1 down 3 to go!
If you are interested the Hogwarts Running Club’s current event is the Fantastic Beasts 5k the suggested run date is this weekend, but I’ve got into the habit of earning my medals once they are here. It makes my post race photos feel more “official”. 😉
Till next time
*Joined – as in I liked their Facebook page and made myself at home in the Hufflepuff online common room.