Between 26th May and 1st June 2024, 12 students from Eltham College and St Leonards ran 680 miles from Paris to St Andrews to celebrate the centenary of their famous alumnus, Eric Liddell wining gold at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
As well as commemorating Liddle’s achievement a century ago, the event raised money for charity, including Personal Best Foundation which gives children and young people from disadvantaged communities and backgrounds the opportunity to participate in athletics.
All the of participants in the race are 17 years old, and in Year 12. This is their race report…
Overview of the run
By Bleddyn Mottershead and Rex Taylor, both Year 12 Eltham College
From 26th May to 1st June, 12 students ran 680 miles from Paris to St Andrews to celebrate the centenary of Eric Liddell winning gold at the 1924 Paris Olympics. The 12 runners, from Eltham College (where Liddell went to school) and St Leonards, were alongside a support crew and used 2 vehicles – a camper van and minibus.
With 113 miles per day and 227 baton changes overall, we each ran 5km at a time in this 24 hour relay format, with our only breaks being sleeping in the campervan or attending the events along the way.
Why are we doing it?
With this event, we had two main goals: share the life and values of Eric Liddell, and raise money for charities we believed reflected these in their work.
With the first, we particularly wanted to highlight the values of perseverance, resilience, integrity, commitment and excellence that underpinned his athletic success, rugby career and missionary work. With the 2024 Olympics returning to Paris on this centenary, we were keen to use this opportunity to commemorate Eric Liddell’s life, 40 years after it was captured in the Oscar winning film ‘Chariots of Fire’. To achieve this, we both gave presentations and showed interviews we had done with Lord Puttnam and Murray Watts at the variety of events along the way, as well as receiving media coverage.
Secondly, we set a ambitious fundraising target of £24,000 for the three charities we chose:
- Mary’s Meals, who provide meals for children living in some of the world’s poorest countries
- Personal Best Foundation, who offer sporting opportunities to children in deprived areas across England
- Eric Liddell Centre, an Edinburgh based care charity and community hub
We are honoured to commemorate Eric Liddell’s centenary through this remarkable charity run. His legacy of selflessness and dedication serves as a timeless inspiration, and we are proud to support causes that reflect his values.
Michael Scott, Project Manager
Photo: Eltham College
What happened on the run
After arriving in Paris, we visited Scots Kirk Church, where 100 years ago Eric Liddell famously gave a sermon instead of competing in the Olympic 100m, alongside getting a tour of the British Embassy.
On Sunday 26th May, we began at 4am from the Stade Colombes, where Liddell won the 400m, continuing over the next two days to our first stop at Eltham College to meet family and friends, and have much needed showers.
Photo: Eltham College
Whilst there, we met representatives from two of the charities we are supporting – it was great for all of us to hear from Roy Peachey of Mary’s Meals and Team GB Olympic medallist Marilyn Okoro from Personal Best Foundation how much of an impact our donations could have.
At our next stop in Cambridge, we both visited the Trinity Great Court and held an information evening and evensong at Great St Mary’s Church to further share our important story.
After a 3-day, non-stop stint of running, we reached Edinburgh to visit the Eric Liddell Community Centre, hearing from CEO John Macmillan and seeing their work first-hand, and then held an event at the French Embassy, including a talk from the first woman to finish the Barkley Marathon – Jasmin Paris.
Having already run the 680 miles, our run officially came to an end with a 5km park run and the annual Chariots of Fire beach race, with an event at St Leonards looking back and reflecting on all we had accomplished over the week.
How did we fundraise and sponsor?
Alongside the charity fundraising goal, we had to seek sponsorship for the event to actually go ahead, including hiring the minivan and campervan along with vital resources such as food, fuel, clothing and accommodation for the support crew. This was eventually met after events held at venues such as Holy Sepulchre (The National Musicians’ Church) in London and Great St. Mary’s Church in Cambridge in order to reach out to an extensive range of individuals. In addition to these fundraising events, we met and pitched to several corporations, receiving generous sponsorships from Firethorn Trust, Jones Nickolds, Enders Analysis and Brewin Dolphin.
To spread our message to a wider audience, we stayed consistent with regular updates on our Instagram page @run4eric, sharing our progress along with videos and highlights of our journey. We also received wide scale coverage from several media outlets including an article from The Times, The Courier along with footage taken by the BBC camera crew.
How did we prepare for the run?
Our group used several methods to prepare for the 680 mile run – the first of which being utilising Strava to track how much we had run throughout the build up to the relay. Second of all, we completed a practice run from Eltham College to Margate, starting at 5am, to visualise how a day in the relay run would go. This helped us not only understand the physical strain it would have on us, but draw attention to any specific areas of stress which may appear as a concern on the run such as injuries and timings for eating. Alongside channelling our focus to running, we held regular meetings with British 24 hour run record holder, Robbie Britton, who gave crucial advice on diet, training, and injury prevention which we would make use of before and throughout the run.
Ultimately, all of us involved in this unique event found it a really fulfilling experience – we had opportunity to raise money for charity and share the inspiring story of Eric Liddell whilst getting to spend a action-packed week running 680 miles from Paris to St Andrews, with the interesting people, places and events along the way leading overall to an unforgettable and rewarding experience.
Of course, we would like to thank all of the people without whom such an experience would not be possible: Michael Scott, who inspired all of us with how he tirelessly and passionately led the project alongside James Willatt and Dawn Pemberton (Deputy Heads from both schools), all of the teachers who helped both organise and took part in the run, the sponsors who believed in our vision and supported its fulfilment, and everyone else who supported us – from friends and family to those who donated across the world, sharing the belief that Eric Liddell’s inspiring story is one that should never be forgotten.
Event report – experiences from those who took part
Each of us ran an average of 100 kilometres, facing different challenges along the way. I personally endured shin splints which made the running experience slightly less enjoyable but a bit of coloured K-Tape kept me going for the week. Some struggled with other injuries, while others battled fatigue and harsh weather. Despite these difficulties, we supported one another and kept our spirits high. Through this teamwork and determination, we all reached the finish line together. The final beach run was my highlight of the week as we all successfully completed this amazing challenge.
Hugo Jacquemier-Ward. Year 12 Eltham College
I thoroughly enjoyed the run – much more than I expected to. I met many new people, went to some fascinating places, and learnt numerous life lessons. What was most important for me was the motivation that I gained from the group being in the minivan nearby as I ran, as I knew 2 things: I could get help at any time if something went wrong, and everyone will see if I slacked off or stopped for too long. A memorable place for me was the Forth road bridge as we completed our final leg from Edinburgh to St Andrews. Everyone from our group got out of the van before we ran across the empty bridge while the sun was still setting at almost 11pm. Despite all of our aches and fatigue, it was a great way to spend our final run of the week and conclude what was a remarkable experience.
Daniel Egan. Year 12 Eltham College
My favourite part during the run was running through Paris at the start as I had never visited Paris. It was an incredible experience as I was also running during the middle of the night and the streets were completely empty.
Jarvis Sheehan. Year 12 Eltham College
During the run we ran through many different areas, but for me, my favourite part was getting to run through London, as we went through places like: Greenwich, Deptford, Tower Bridge, and Tottenham. Even though I live so close to London I still enjoyed it the most, as we got to see friends and family along the way. This support whilst running was vastly different compared to running through Yorkshire highlands as we didn’t see a single person for hours.
James Mather. Year 12 Eltham College
Although I did not run, it was wonderful being head of marketing. I shared Eric’s story via speaking at church, partook in a corporate pitch, and put my Procreate skills to good use creating the 24 tour logo. Getting to know those in St Leonard’s, and learning more about the Alumni of Eltham college has been wonderful. I am so glad to have partook in this experience!
Eleanor Roberts. Year 12 Eltham College
What inspired the event
By Wilf Kirby. Year 12 Eltham College
Eric Liddell exhibited incredible determination in the face of adversity, he would not sway from the focus of his central beliefs and his devotion to the Christian faith even when this potentially impeded his ability to achieve a dream he had strived for.
Eric Liddell and his older brother were boarders at Eltham College from 1908 – 1920, as their parents were missionaries in China. It is inspiring to know that Eric walked the corridors we walk, ran the fields we run, representing the school in the 1st XV Rugby and 1st X1 Cricket at the age of 15.
Liddell won the Blackheath Cup (the school award for the best sportsman of the year), already promising to become a great athlete before he set off for university. During his time at Edinburgh University, he was known as the fastest runner in Scotland, and many tipped him for Olympic greatness. Through this success Liddell also continued to make time for his faith and spoke to crowds about Christianity. While at the university Eric played 7 times for the Scottish Rugby Team in the Six Nations, scoring 4 tries and beating the likes of Ireland, France and Wales.
Despite this success, Eric is best remembered for his achievements while running. In particular, the 1924 Paris Olympics where he was set to run the 100m for England and was considered one of the favourites. However, the heats for this event were scheduled for a Sunday, conflicting with his Christian faith, and so he refused to run. In the face of this challenge, he achieved third place in the 200m but, most impressively, won gold in the 400m and set a record of 47.6 seconds, a record that stood unbeaten for 35 years.
On the morning of the Olympic 400m Liddell was handed a folded piece of paper where he found the message: ‘He that honours me I will honour.’ Wishing you the best of success always.”
Recognising the Bible reference to 1 Samuel 2:30, Liddell was deeply moved that someone other than his coach believed in him and the stance he had taken. This message inspired Liddell to his win later that day, emphasising the power that God had on his life.
Prioritising his beliefs over fame and fortune, Eric chose to go as a missionary to China, following in the footsteps of his parents. This was a dangerous endeavour as the country had become a battleground after the recent civil wars and invading Japanese. Liddell worked at schools in China, spreading the Christian message alongside teaching. In Tianjin, he met his wife, with whom he would have three daughters.
In 1941 British nationals in China were advised to leave due to the dangerous situation and so his wife (pregnant with their third child) and daughters left for Canada to stay with family. Liddell though, stayed in China, joining his brother at a station of missionaries providing medical help. In 1943 Liddell was put into the Weihsien Internment Camp where he was looked up to by all, helping the elderly, arranging games and teaching. He died of an undiagnosed brain tumour on 21 February 1945, just five months before liberation. Eric’s actions in China and the compassion he showed right up until his last days are a testament to his character and are arguably more important than any of his sporting achievements.
We were given the honour to follow in his footsteps – running as a team from Paris, the city of his Olympic victory to Edinburgh where he studied at university and enjoyed holidays with his family when on leave in the UK as a child. How could we not challenge ourselves to rise up, test our endurance to commemorate his legacy, to celebrate his faith and to raise money for causes we believe he stood for; those in need of food, those in need of love and support and those who strive to be their very best.
With thanks to the students of Eltham College