Global marathon relay is a real family affair
DiplomatandathletedaughterruninUzbekistan
An East Kilbride running star travelled to Uzbekistan to help set the pace for her diplomat dad as they took part in a 24-hour global marathon relay.
Nineteen-year-old EK Athletic Club ace Hannah Anderson’s father, Steven, is the UK’s Acting Ambassador to Uzbekistan and the pair took part in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s annual GlobalMile charity challenge.
The aid agency also has a joint base in the town’s Abercrombie House.
They were among around 3000 diplomats and their families from more than 180 British Embassies, High Commissions, governors’ offices and consulates worldwide who took part.
Cash raised will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine humanitarian appeal and the Queen’s Green Canopy.
Runners across the UK’s extensive global network all had to run a mile before video-conferencing or Tweeting with the next mission to pass on the virtual baton – sending it through the 24 time zones.
Hannah and Steven got their running shoes on to run a mile in Uzbekistan capital Tashkent this month.
Edinburgh University student Hannah, from Strathaven, said: “Not being able to be with my parents at
Christmas was particularly hard, so it was great fun for us to enjoy a run together for such a good cause.
“The warm Tashkent sunshine was a bit of a difference from the mud and rain of some of my races back in Scotland, although I did have to slow down a little so dad could keep up.”
Hannah, a 1500m and 3000m runner, is one of Scotland’s brightest athletic talents and is hoping to make the GB cross country team for the European Championships.
The third annual GlobalMile challenge saw UK diplomats from Vancouver in the West and Samoa in the East, from Canberra in the South to Reykjavik in the north, complete a 24-hour marathon relay.
Tashkent-based dad Steven, 51, said: “GlobalMile is a brilliant idea that brings people all over the world together for a common cause.
“Covid lockdown restrictions meant we were unable to travel back to see family and friends at Christmas, so it was fantastic Hannah was able to join us for our run along Tashkent canal.
“If it was a race Hannah would easily have won, but mercifully she went easy on us and kept up a pace that did not leave her old dad and my colleagues too out of puff.”
This is the third iteration of the global marathon, which is the brainchild of Dr Ian Collard, Ambassador to Lebanon, and his wife Tamara.
In 2020, Ian was based at the British
Embassy in Afghanistan. With global flight restrictions during the first phases of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ian’s 3500-mile separation from Tamara and their children forced them to find creative ways to stay united as a family during the pandemic.
Ambassador to Lebanon Dr Collard said: “The global marathon has become a fantastic means of friends, family and colleagues
connecting around the world, while at the same time affording us the opportunity to support important initiatives such as the Queen’s Green Canopy and assistance to the people of Ukraine.”
Embassies across the world are raising funds for local charities, and Ian and Tamara have set up a pair of JustGiving pages that will provide donations to Ukraine and to the Queen’s Green Canopy.