- Jaguar Land Rover employee is running 20 marathons in 2020 for charity
- Route planned across the West Midlands plants after organised runs cancelled due to coronavirus
- More than 470 miles completed and nearly £9,000 raised so far for charity St Giles Hospice
- Mark’s 20th and final marathon scheduled for October
Friday 28 August 2020, Whitley, UK - Jaguar Land Rover employee and marathon runner Mark Shanahan was given the run of his company’s plants to complete his 18th marathon of the year.
Mark challenged himself to run 20 marathons in 2020 to raise money for local charity St Giles Hospice. But the events he signed up to were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic – so he organised his own 26-mile runs.
The marketing manager, who has worked at Jaguar Land Rover for nine years, chose the West Midlands manufacturing plants for his 18th run on Friday after working with the manufacturing teams to map a 26-mile route around the Castle Bromwich and Solihull sites.
Mark has now run more than 470 miles and raised nearly £9,000 to support the West Midlands-based hospice, which cared for Mark’s late uncle last year, following donations from family and friends plus a collective £1,000 donation from Solihull and Castle Bromwich’s respective 50 Years of Land Rover and Employee Charitable Contribution funds.
Friday’s run followed a route down and around various production lines at Castle Bromwich before an eight-mile journey to do the same at the sister facility in Solihull.
“I’ll always be grateful for the care St Giles gave my uncle in his last days with us and I thought this would be great way to show my appreciation. If I can help them to continue to provide the same kind of care they gave to my family at a really difficult time then I’m only too happy to do so. I’m grateful to Jaguar Land Rover for giving me the opportunity to add some variety to the challenge. They’ve been really supportive and using the sites as a marathon route is unique so I’m looking forward to it.”
Mark Shanahan
Product Manager
“It’s a huge challenge that Mark has undertaken and when he approached us for some support we were happy to help. We are serious about our responsibility to support our communities and we are glad to help one of our own do the same.”