FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SHAKESPEARE TO RUN VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON
The Great Bard himself may have lived four centuries too early to compete
in the Virgin Money London Marathon, but on the eve of the 400th
anniversary of his death, his first cousin (11 times removed) will be
taking on the challenge.
Bethanie Shakespeare, 30, from London, has the blood of Britain's greatest
playwright coursing through her veins.
With a surname as historic as theirs, it is no surprise Bethanie's family
have dug deep into their past and discovered they are directly descended
from William's uncle, Matthew Shakespeare.
"My dad is a history teacher and one of his main passions is researching
our family tree and he has discovered we are related to William," said
Bethanie, who, though not sharing her ancestor's flair with the written
word, does have a passion for language.
"I'm a speech therapist," she explained. "It's quite weird actually because
some of my patients are actors and there's a good chance they are seeing me
to then go on to perform in one of Shakespeare's plays."
While Bethanie will be running as a Shakespeare in the club colours of Kent
AC, there will be one man running dressed as her (11 times removed) first
cousin.
Luke Hollowell-Williams, who is the artistic director of the Primary
Shakespeare Company, has decided to run as the Great Bard himself, complete
with sculpted beard, Elizabethan ruff, red and yellow-striped Elizabethan
hose and white tights.
The Primary Shakespeare Company work with children in London's primary
schools, raising attainment and achievement by engaging with Shakespeare,
and Luke will be running to raise money and awareness of the charity.
Luke, 52, from London, said: "There has never been a better year to run the
marathon as Shakespeare. With the 400 celebrations going on around the
country, Shakespeare's genius is once again in the forefront of people's
minds so hopefully I will get a lot of support on the course."
There are three more genuine Shakespeares ready to take on the 26.2-mile
challenge on Sunday 24 April: Matthew, Jordan and Simon.
Matthew, from Solihull, may not have the same ancestral links as Bethanie,
but he has shared a home town with the Great Bard.
"I worked at a hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon for two years," said the
32-year-old. "I had coach trips of tourists coming up to me, spotting the
name on my badge and then firing off all sorts of questions."
This year's start list also includes a cast list of Shakespearian
characters.
There is a Romeo – jetting in from southern Italy, who will be chased by 10
Juliets, while there are also two Lears and one Macbeth who will be hoping
to avoid the tragedies of their namesakes come Race Day.
There will be 29 Henrys "standing like greyhounds in the slips, straining
upon the start", as their namesake Henry V and his men were ahead of
Agincourt, while there are 26 Anthonys but sadly no Cleopatras for them to
pursue.
And everyone running will surely have in the back of their minds
Shakespeare's famous quote from Julius Caesar: "Bid me run, and I will
strive with things impossible."
The 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon takes place on Sunday 24 April. For
more information, media guides and details of accreditation go to:
www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com
The London Marathon was first held on 29 March 1981.
The six founding principles of the London Marathon are:
• To improve the overall standard and status of British marathon
running by providing a fast course and strong international
competition
• To show to mankind that, on occasions, the 'family of man' can be
united
• To raise money for the provision of recreational facilities in
London
• To help London tourism
• To prove that when it comes to organising major events, 'Britain is
best'
• To have fun and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a
troubled world
In 2015, the Virgin Money London Marathon raised £54.1 million for charity,
setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest annual single-day
charity fundraising event worldwide for a ninth successive year.
Since 1981, The London Marathon Charitable Trust has awarded grants
totalling more than £57.7 million to 1000+ organisations in London, Surrey,
Silverstone, Birmingham and Liverpool
The 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death is on Saturday 23
April. He died, aged 52, in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23 1616.
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