A week today, on Sunday 27 April, team West Ham United Foundation, consisting of Matt Smith, Jiri Svarc and Hans Louis, will be among the thousands of people taking on the 26.2-mile challenge of the TCS London Marathon, all in support of the Foundation's vital work across east London and beyond.
Jiri, a West Ham United Board Member, recently visited the Hammers’ Rush Green training ground, linking up with fellow runner and First Team Executive Performance Chef Hans, with the excitement building towards race day.
The Foundation’s ‘Run for Beckton’ London Marathon campaign has yielded fantastic support from within the Club, with men’s first team vice-captain Aaron Cresswell backing the team for the challenge. Cresswell said: “I know Hans has been really looking forward to this and it’s been great to see how much work they’ve all put in.”
Cresswell also spoke to Matt, who is based in the United States, ahead of the big day via video call, to wish him well and share some encouragement from the whole squad.
“The London Marathon’s a special atmosphere,” said Cresswell. “The squad and I have seen the plans for the Beckton Hub, and everyone at the training ground is buzzing about it. It’s such a great project, and we can’t wait to see it once it’s open.”
Matt, who has already completed marathons in New York, Chicago and Berlin, is taking on his fourth, but this time for a unique cause that is close to his heart. All funds raised are going directly toward the Foundation’s brand-new Beckton Community Hub, set to open this summer.
The £4.7-million, state-of the-art redevelopment project will see the footprint of the current building treble, enabling the Foundation to serve thousands of children, young people, adults, families, elderly residents and hard-to-reach groups and individuals, doubling the current 2,000 weekly participant footfall in the process. Incredibly, it is also expected to deliver over £75m in social value in its first five years of operation.
With race day fast approaching, spirits are high, especially after the fundraising campaign smashed its original target of £50,000 - currently raising over £60,000 with a week to go.
All funds raised are crucially going towards supporting the Foundation’s ambitious vision to create an inspiring, safe and inclusive space for all ages and abilities. Services available in the Hub will span health and wellbeing to violence reduction, tech and digital learning, in addition to inspiring future business leaders and budding entrepreneurs, and much more.
Donations to the team have included more than £25,000 from first-team players and coaching staff, many of whom have seen first-hand the positive impact of the Foundation’s work.
“London is such an iconic course,” Matt shared. “But this one’s especially meaningful because of the new community space we’re working towards. It’s about bringing people together, giving more young people in east London opportunities and support, and helping the Foundation’s continuous growth.”
Matt, Jiri and Hans have been rallying each other throughout the training process and are now beginning the countdown to the big day which begins at Greenwich Park.
“All the lads are behind you,” said Cresswell. “It’s been the talk of the training ground these last few weeks, and it’s been great to see Hans getting more and more excited as it gets closer.”
With his girlfriend and his father, West Ham United Non-Executive Director Tripp Smith, cheering him on, Matt is embracing the moment and looking forward to crossing the iconic finish line, not just for personal pride, but to help raise vital funds for the Beckton Hub.
“The training’s gone really well and we’re through the hard part now,” said Matt. “My longest run was 22 miles two weeks ago and that’s often the toughest bit, running that distance alone with no crowd. Now, I’m just focused on enjoying the day and finishing strong.”
Having made over 350 appearances for the Hammers, England international Cresswell was able to directly relate to Matt’s struggles, suggesting footballers experience similar things at the end of the season.
He said: “In the off season it’s difficult for us, when you're on your own and mentally, it's so much harder when you don’t have your teammates or the fans around to give you that lift.”
Cresswell, who joked about the difference between running a football match and a marathon, offered some parting words. He said: “We normally run about ten kilometres during matches so I don’t know if I can offer too much advice, but make sure you’ve got some energy gels for when that fatigue kicks in.”
“It means the world to be running it for something that will give back to the community for years to come,” said Matt. “The Beckton Hub is going to be a real game changer, and we can’t wait to celebrate both finishing the marathon and the Hub’s opening as well!”
On behalf of everyone at West Ham United, we wish Matt, Hans and Jiri the very best of luck and we’ll be cheering you on every step of the way.
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