Well done to Matthew Thomas, our IT Support Engineer in our London office, for completing the Oxford Half Marathon on 15th October 2023.

Matt has been running casually and frequently for just over a year, which he has found to be a great tool in aid of relaxation and de-stressing, as well as generally keeping fit and healthy alongside the necessary diet to help prepare and recover.

On race day, it was close-to freezing temperatures, but near-perfect conditions to run in.  Matt had his fundraising shirt, race bib pinned on, shoe laces fastened tight, with his watch primed and ready.  He set off with the aim of performing a negative split, where he starts off slower than his target pace and slowly increases the speed over time. Just after the 3km mark he realised that he was running ahead of schedule, but feeling great he maintained a speed faster than his goal pace earlier on than planned.  His competitive side leaked out when his friend caught up around the 16km mark – which lead to him pushing his body more for the remaining 5km, beyond what he thought was possible.

Matt crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 41 minutes and 36 seconds, taking 11 and a half minutes off his previous best time set in April.  Great result!

Matt would like to express his gratitude to everyone who supported him along his 12 week training journey, as well as those who donated to his fundraising page for the charity Cats Protection, and also to Burgoynes for the matched-sponsorship funds, which contributed greatly to his total.