Tony McMurray is very pleased to confirm that he successfully completed the 42km course of the London Marathon on Sunday April 21st. He was one of 21 Bulgarians who gained entry to the race this year, and as you can see from the images showcased below, he proudly wore the Bulgarian colours and crossed the finish line in front of Buckingham Palace with the national flag raised above my head!
There are so many stories and images of this journey that he could share with you. His selected highlights are given with supporting pictures below.
Fundraising / Awareness
As the Chair of the Trustees of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Bulgaria Tony ran for the Award here in Bulgaria to coincide with its 10th Anniversary in 2024.
The Award has given millions of young people around the world a route to explore and develop the skills to thrive, empowering them to take control of their future. Here in Bulgaria, the award continues to provide a growing number of young people with the opportunity to harness the skills and qualities that will help them throughout their lives.
Tony is pleased to say that as of today he has reached 2,385 GBP (5,500 BGN). Many thanks to those who have donated so far, this is 117% of my original target.
There is still an opportunity to donate further here.
HIS 2024 LONDON MARATHON STORY
Before
On visiting the ‘Marathon Expo’ in east London a few days before the race Tony wore my traditional Bulgarian costume. He had a few interested looks as I wandered amongst the thousands of runners registering and collecting their running number and soaking up the pre-marathon Atmosphere.
Later that day Mr Krassimir Kiriakov of the Bulgarian Embassy in London kindly hosted an informal meeting where he and his colleagues listened intensely to my unique story of running for Bulgaria in the country of my birth.
During
The race from start to finish was a most memorable occasion. The weather was perfect (around 13 degrees and cloudy), the organization at all levels was superb, and aside from the great views that London has to offer a personal highlight was the supportive crowds – when they saw the writing on my running shirt they continuously shouted, ‘Come on Bulgaria’.
One memorable man at around 20km with a traditional British Pint of beer in his hand shouted… ‘българия, как си’ – I shouted back immediately with ‘много добре, а ти’ – he concluded by raising his beer in the air! This was the true spirit of the London Marathon.
After
Tony will now start to wind down this incredible journey as he collects the remainder of the donations. My work with the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Bulgaria will continue. As the chair of the board of trustees, they have some exiting times ahead here in Bulgaria. Tony says he is privileged to be involved with an organization that can and will influence the lives of so many of our youth as they prepare themselves for the future.
His next challenge is to continue with his ‘Bulgarian 56 Peaks Challenge’ for which he will have an exciting announcement to make during 2024.
