TJ employee runs London Marathon to raise money for the Rainbow Centre

TJ’s Commercial Manager Paul Smith successfully completed the TCS London Marathon 2023 on Sunday in just 3 hours 12 minutes, an improvement of 7 minutes on his time in the 2021 event! Paul ran the race to raise money for the Rainbow Centre.

This fantastic result saw him placed 374th in his category. Paul’s time meant that he not only clocked up an impressive average of 7.3-minute miles, but also that he finished in the top 10% of all the runners that participated, which is an amazing achievement.

Paul is an experienced runner with this being his seventh London Marathon. He has been in marathon training for the past six months, gradually building up his distances and increasing his pace to ensure a good time, which he achieved. His result also means that he’s automatically qualified for next year’s marathon if he chooses to accept the place.

The marathon saw over 49,250 participants run the traditional Blackheath to The Mall route, with an additional 40,000 runners completing a virtual marathon from their own locations. The virtual event allows anyone to run the 26.2 miles wherever they are in the world, as long as they complete it within the 24 hours of 23 April and report their result. This is the third year the virtual event has taken place.

Paul said: “It was a fantastic day; the atmosphere was great and the weather held out, which was a bonus! I was thrilled to knock 7 minutes off my last marathon time and pleased to achieve my second fastest-ever time! The fact that we’re on the way to raising £2,000 for the Rainbow Centre really is the icing on the cake as the charity provides such amazing support.”

The Rainbow Centre, which is based in Fareham, was created by a small group of parents looking to provide the best help and support they could for their children with Cerebral Palsy. That search led to finding Conductive Education, a system of learning based on the simple concept of human potential that everyone has the capability to learn and develop, irrespective of their starting point. This is the Rainbow Centre’s DNA and the secret of their neuro rehabilitation success.

Those with a disability are often assessed for what they can’t do, as opposed to their potential – for what they can do. Rainbow Centre’s Conductors are highly trained to observe this potential in a person, to nurture their development, and to devise a structured programme to enable success. 

Conductive Education takes a holistic approach to helping both children and adults achieve their maximum potential and it is this positive and inclusive attitude that is at the heart of making the Rainbow Centre a special place.

Explore the charity, how you can get involved or make a donation to support Paul’s marathon fundraiser!

Find out more about TJ Transport and the other great fundraising work we’ve been involved in…