Tue 10 Sep 2024
Introducing Commit to Impact: What You Need to Know
lower your race cost by committing to a higher fundraising goal: you benefit, the charity thrives, and together, we create lasting impact
Tue 13 Aug 2024
The heartbeat of Impact: stories of connection and unity at Impact Marathon
Our races are about so much more than just crossing the finish line.
Mon 15 Apr 2024
beyond the finish line: sustaining impact between marathon events
The finish line is just the beginning. While our events in each country may happen annually, the vision and impact of our work stretch across the entire year.
Tue 9 Apr 2024
run alive: hear from an impact runner
In this episode of the RunAlive Podcast, Ed and Jenny welcome Nick Kershaw, the founder of Impact Marathon, and Bexx Swainson, an accomplished athlete and frequent Impact Marathon participant.
Tue 26 Mar 2024
inspired soles: Nick Kershaw | impact marathon founder
Nick Kershaw is a man with a mission. A runner with a background in finance and a passion for international development, Nick joins us from the UK to tell us all about how the Impact Marathon Series came to be and why it is so special.
Tue 26 Mar 2024
business of endurance: the transformative impact of community-driven marathon events
In this episode, Charlie and Claire welcome Nick Kershaw, founder of Impact Marathons. The conversation includes details about the origin and evolution of their community-driven marathon events. Initially working in finance, Nick sought a meaningful way to contribute to projects in Uganda, leading to the concept of Impact Marathons.
Tue 26 Mar 2024
the running public: interview with founder, Nick Kershaw
Nick joins Kirk and Brakken for an impromptu and exhilarating chat – it's the ideal soundtrack for your weekend long run. Tune in for a conversation full of surprises and insights!
Mon 18 Mar 2024
impact stories: guatemala beyond the headlines
When they go low - we go high. After receiving some online abuse aimed at our Guatemalan team members, we wrote and recorded this.
Mon 18 Mar 2024
Introducing Global Impact Challenges: The Next Step in the Journey of Impact Marathon
Impact Marathon is thrilled to announce an exciting new initiative: Global Impact Challenges.
Mon 26 Feb 2024
impact stories: the power of unity
2 races | 2 weeks | 2 very different finish lines
Thu 22 Feb 2024
impact stories - desert to oasis: the greening the desert miracle
Nick Kershaw explores the transformative power of permaculture in the heart of Jordan's arid landscape. Discover how the Greening The Desert project is revolutionizing sustainable living and community development.
Tue 20 Feb 2024
2025 Guatemala Impact Marathon: A Thoughtful Stride into the Future
With our most popular local race returning in 2025, here's a look into what we are doing to make it the most powerful event yet...
Thu 1 Feb 2024
Empowering Strides: Unveiling the World’s Most Powerful Races in 2024
We aren't looking to create the toughest, longest, highest, most brutal - we are here to create the most powerful races in the world.
Wed 27 Dec 2023
Echoes of Impact: A Reflective Journey Through 2023's Races and Beyond
Reflecting on a Year of Impactful Journeys and Embracing the Path Ahead"
Thu 14 Dec 2023
Petra Reimagined: A Testament to Resilience and Solidarity with Impact Marathon
Our recent journey to Petra during the Jordan Impact Marathon was more than a visit to a historical marvel; it was a profound statement of solidarity, a commitment to standing alongside communities that face the echoes of regional conflicts.
Thu 7 Dec 2023
Turn a desert green? That's Impossible!
In this blog, explore the profound journey of Impact Marathon, from challenging personal boundaries in running to driving sustainable global changes, particularly focusing on the success of the Greening The Desert project in Jordan. Discover how the principles of permaculture intertwine with various Sustainable Development Goals and how the resilience of runners is harnessed to create a significant impact on Life On Land. Join us in this inspiring story of transformation and hope.
Tue 24 Oct 2023
PODCAST: The Crevasse
Scouting locations during the monsoon season in Nepal is no easy feat! Here's one spectacular story that helped us in building the right team, at exactly the right time.
Mon 23 Oct 2023
PODCAST: From Turning Points to Learning Points
It is 2015, we are in Nepal for the first time, and our mission to build a uniquely skilled and united team is building momentum.
Sat 21 Oct 2023
PODCAST: How Just ONE Meeting Changes Everything
In the third episode of "The Impact Sprint: 14 Stories of Heartbeats and Footprints," Nick Kershaw unveils the transformative power of a single meeting.
Fri 20 Oct 2023
PODCAST: Starting from Zero in Kathmandu
Day 2 of the Impact Sprint: 14 Stories of Heartbeats and Footprints
Thu 19 Oct 2023
PODCAST: The Unfolding Origin of Impact Marathons
The first episode of our 14 Day Impact Sprint: Heartbeats & Footprints
Mon 16 Oct 2023
A Bucket-List Marathon: Why Jordan Should Be Your Next Running Destination
When it comes to selecting a marathon that offers more than just a run through city streets, Jordan stands out as a monumental, literally and metaphorically, running destination. The Jordan Impact Marathon isn't just a race; we have designed your entire time in Jordan to be a transformative journey that enriches you, tests your limits, and allows you to leave a lasting positive impact on the community. Here's why this race should be etched into your bucket list.
Thu 12 Oct 2023
5 Reasons the Nepal Impact Marathon Is More Than Just a Race
Our original race has always been a beautiful example of how powerful our running can be, and the impact a race can have on the communities we serve.
Tue 26 Sep 2023
Regenerative Travel and the Nepal Impact Marathon: Running for a Better World
The concept of regenerative travel is shaping the future of tourism pushing it towards more sustainable, equitable, and meaningful experiences. But what if we applied this progressive approach to sports events? As with all our Impact Marathons, we are very aware that we need to create a positive impact that far outweighs the impact of travel.
Mon 18 Sep 2023
Why Guatemala Is the Perfect Adventure Destination for U.S. Trail Runners
Tired of pounding the same old pavement? Why not switch your backdrop to the lush landscapes of Guatemala? The Guatemala Impact Marathon offers U.S. trail runners an adventure that's not only easily accessible but genuinely life-changing.
Thu 7 Sep 2023
Why Team Up For the Guatemala Impact Marathon?
The Guatemala Impact Marathon is not simply a running event; it's an interdisciplinary experience blending athleticism, social impact, and cultural immersion. Within this complex framework, participating as part of a collective—whether that's friends, a running club, or a corporate group—offers distinct advantages that can heighten the experience in profound ways. This article delves into the manifold benefits of team participation in this unique event.
Tue 5 Sep 2023
Running with Purpose: The Synergistic Impact of SERES, Youth Leadership, and the Guatemala Impact Marathon
The Guatemala Impact Marathon is not just a race; it's a catalyst for social change, woven deeply into the fabric of SERES' year-round initiatives. This piece delves into how the intertwining of youth leadership, impact runners, and SERES' activities is pivotal for shaping a resilient, sustainable future for Guatemala.
Thu 31 Aug 2023
Adapting to Tropical Conditions: An Evidence-Based Approach to Training for International Marathons
While long-distance running offers a plethora of physiological and psychological benefits, the task becomes considerably more complex when subjected to the harsh climates characteristic of tropical regions. This article aims to provide an in-depth, scholarly discussion on the most effective strategies for acclimating to tropical conditions, with the ultimate goal of enhancing athletic performance and minimising health risks.
Tue 29 Aug 2023
A Beginner's Guide to International Marathons: Why Start with Guatemala
Considering your first international marathon? How about broadening your horizons to a race that offers more than just miles and medals? Welcome to Guatemala, a destination that will redefine your running experience in the most fulfilling way.
Thu 10 Aug 2023
Running with purpose: the Jordan Impact Marathon partners with the Invictus Games Foundation
In July, we announced that a team from the Invictus Games Foundation will be joining our Jordan Impact Marathon this November: here is some background to the shared values that make this partnership so exciting.
Fri 14 Jul 2023
Lessons from Love Trails: Celebrating Obsession with Experience Creation in the World of Running Events
This weekend, we headed to Love Trails Festival, hosted just nearby Impact HQ, on the magnificent Gower Peninsula here in Wales. Since inception, we have been inspired by the team at Love Trails who are driven by our shared passion for obsessively curating events that prioritise the joy of running and the value of human connection.
Fri 23 Jun 2023
Exploring the Enchanting History of Antigua: Our Home for the 7th Guatemala Impact Marathon
We have moved our Athletes' Village right into the centre of the UNESCO World Heritage town of Antigua - here's why!
Tue 20 Jun 2023
Run the Extra Mile: Impact Marathons and the Journey to Social Change
We obsess on the social impact story of all our races. This is what makes our events unique, it is what keeps us up at night, and it is what drives us to keep going through all the ups and downs involved in development work.
Mon 19 Jun 2023
Women on the start line: Integrating SheRaces into our Impact Marathons
We have been a founding member of SheRaces - here is how we have integrated the policies into our work...
Thu 25 May 2023
Why Impact Marathons are changing the face of global charity events
Allow us to reintroduce ourselves...
Wed 18 Jan 2023
ChatGPT wrote a poem about our run in Guatemala...
It was late. I was about miss the deadline, nothing I wrote was clicking. It was time to test out what ChatGPT knows about volcanoes, trail running, and Guatemala.
Wed 21 Jul 2021
One goal to rule them all : A lesson learnt in our pursuit of The Global Goals
Despite each race having a different SDG to highlight, raise for and connect with - since beginning our work in 2015, we have seen one unifying theme. It starts in the garden.
Tue 15 Jun 2021
Dropping pebbles, investing in yourself and making an impact
Nick’s clear desire to keep improving himself and how travel businesses should be approaching their work in a world that is becoming more and more demanding of social and environmental awareness and action.
Fri 12 Feb 2021
Introducing: Impact Stories with Nick Kershaw
After 5 years of appearing on all manner of different podcasts, our Founder - Nick Kershaw - has taken the plunge and started his own one. Eschewing the obvious theme of running, he has jumped into his first love: empowering others to create a positive impact in their lives.
Fri 12 Feb 2021
Going Green in Malawi: An unexpected challenge
This solution was met with mixed reviews. The water bottles weren’t accepted as enthusiastically as we had hoped, and not all runners ended up taking them on the course with them which negated their primary intended purpose.
Fri 12 Feb 2021
Impact 101: Conversation with 'We Got The Runs' Podcast
Listen to ‘We Got The Runs’ podcast below as Impact Marathon Founder, Nick Kershaw, chats to Letty Lundquist about the origins of the Impact Marathon dream, trail running, and how Impact has developed during this period of pause to come back stronger in 2021/22.
Fri 27 Nov 2020
Ultimate Gift Guide for the Ethical Runner
This is not your typical product-pushy post. In fact, with a view to our Green World Policy, we are increasingly conscious of the impact consumerism, specifically, overconsumption has on our environment. That’s not to say we are against gifting - quite the opposite! And knowing it can be a tricky balancing act to decide what to give and where to spend your hard-earned cash, we have compiled a list of suggestions for you.
Mon 2 Nov 2020
How do you create a new race route? Meet the Impact Pyramid
When we chat to race directors around the world - particularly when back home - we are always asked how we go about creating and executing in extreme places. Everything from bureaucracy to risk management to the actual finding of a great trail. We have become so comfortable with this side of our operations, we look at the races back at home and regularly think “oh, that looks much harder!”.
Thu 15 Oct 2020
4 ways to maximise your impact (that don't involve any running)
The decision to embark on an adventure with the Impact Team will undoubtedly be one of the better ones you make. The experience will have a lasting impact on your relationship to the sport of running, and also on your view of the world we inhabit.
Sun 27 Sep 2020
Green World Programme x Impact Marathon
We have created and implemented this policy because we believe that the travel and events industries must protect the exact things that make our work so special - people and planet
Thu 6 Aug 2020
Impact in 2020: Step sideways, to leap forward
While our events will not go ahead as initially planned this year, our mission remains -- and we are committed to working with and helping our charity partners and communities from afar. This is why we will be returning to Guatemala, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi and Nepal as soon as it is not only possible but the right thing to do and the best way to support our partners.
Wed 15 Jul 2020
RunTalkRun x Impact Marathons: Global running movements join forces
Impact Marathons and RTR share a common goal: the desire to use the act of running as a means to bring people together to leave some good in the world.
Tue 7 Jul 2020
How to be a change-maker - a conversation with the RunTalkRun podcast
Listen to ‘The RunTalkRun Podcast’ below as Impact Marathon Founder, Nick Kershaw, chats to Josh Pewter and Jess Robson about mental health and how anyone can start on a journey to being a change-maker - all whilst sipping on homemade cocktails…
Fri 3 Jul 2020
Coach Gabriel's winning culture: How Kenyan world records are made
His talent is immense, but you wouldn’t easily know this. Softspoken and quirky in nature, Coach Gabriel is not the rabble-rousing coach character one is used to seeing in sports films. His is a more humble and understated approach that stems from a knack for spotting those who have the special qualities that he knows can make them stand out and rise above the pack.
Wed 17 Jun 2020
Silent Motivations - A conversation with the Evossi Explore Show
Listen to ‘The Evossi Explore Show’ as Impact Marathon Founder, Nick Kershaw, chats to Ed Flood about the silent motivations, trail running and how Impact has adapted and changed over the five years since he set out on this journey.
Mon 8 Jun 2020
What's in a medal? The story behind an Impact medal
When we started out, we knew that in order to mark the completion of what is likely to be one of the hardest race of each runner’s life, we would need something pretty special. A momento to be treasured, displayed with pride, and that innately tells the story of the community.
Thu 20 Feb 2020
Guatemala Impact Marathon: From dream to reality
Orginally, we were looking at The Global Goals and pinpointing place the right communities to tell specific stories that we wanted to tell. That just shows how naive we were back then - and it was in the planning of our Guatemala race that we realised that the Impact platform only becomes powerful when communities tell their story, not the other way round.
Sat 1 Feb 2020
Runners Recipes: Charlie Watson's Avocado Bread
This loaf gives the avocado-on-toast obsession new meaning, although I have to admit that I haven’t tried this with a poached egg and chilli flakes on top! This is the ideal recipe to use up those avocados that are almost too ripe however, unlike banana bread, it doesn't follow the 'browner the better' rule - you still want those avocados to be green...ish.
Fri 31 Jan 2020
Impact Runner Stories: Kit Garnett @ Nepal Impact Marathon 2019
To be honest, my favourite part of the week was meeting everyone and making friends for life. The runners are always so amazing and down to earth, and it was an absolute pleasure running with them, yogaing with them, and building a road with them
Tue 17 Dec 2019
Pablo: The main man of Guatemala Impact
The Guatemala Impact Marathon helps create friendships, not just partnerships. Even after Impact Week, I am able to stay behind and see the difference that Impact have made on those they work with. Impact’s important goal of helping as much as they can is something I believe in, the joy of helping. Helping a community pays back way better than anything else I know of.
Tue 29 Oct 2019
Kelsang: The unsung hero of Nepal Impact
“The charities that IMS are partnered with are not only receiving a certain amount of funds but also the direct interaction between runners who are donating so they can see where their donation goes, to let them connect with the cause that makes the run all the more special.”
Wed 2 Oct 2019
Team Impact: Through the eyes of an investor
Just over one year ago Impact Marathon Series set off on a different sort of challenge, the aim to crowd-fund £80,000 and bring on new investors and influences. One of the first to invest in IMS was long-distance runner, sweeper and all out walking/talking dictionary Josh Ord Hume.
Mon 9 Sep 2019
It takes a village
This was easily the most brutal 2 days in Impact Project history; we are indebted to the incredible group of runners who relentlessly pushed to lay this pipeline. They dug through dirt, they dug through rock, they dug through tarmac and came out empowered on the other side.
Thu 29 Aug 2019
Meet the storytellers
These are the guys who will take on the challenge of telling the story of an Impact Week to followers across the globe. From the individuals that drive change from a grassroots level, to capturing the beauty of our surrounds, to the behind the scenes mayhem with the team.
Wed 14 Aug 2019
Why a flash storm in Kenya is exactly what your company needs to thrive
5 minutes later, with wind so strong the rains are moving horizontally across the estate, we see a phenomenon we never anticipated and the tea-estate owners rarely see in East Africa: ice is falling from above. It may not quite be 'snow in Africa this Christmas' but this freak once in a generation storm has hit us right in the middle of our race and golf balls are falling from the sky.
Wed 7 Aug 2019
Team Impact: Through the eyes of our volunteers
For runners and volunteers alike, the experience is one that both challenges and inspires and makes you want to come back for more. It’s no surprise that IMS sees a strong return rate of both participants and volunteers - one Impact week is hardly enough
Tue 16 Jul 2019
Nepal Impact 2019 to be led by an all-female race director team
Since our first race, the UN in Nepal have been sponsoring these girls to run our race each year, some travelling from days away to be part of the Impact Marathon. Their stories have inspired us and the idea that some of these girls will be looking our race directors thinking “that can be me” will inspire us even further.
Tue 14 May 2019
Building resilience: Permaculture and sustainable development
Created in 2017 and officially launched in 2018, the project aims to educate and empower the Malawian people in their own agriculture efforts. Through a combination of education, demonstration and training, the project aims to empower the Malawian people to be more independent and self-sustaining through agriculture.
Mon 4 Feb 2019
4 reasons to run up an active volcano
Running through the lava fields is probably as close as you can come to running on the moon, the black charcoal rock jagged on either side creating a strange sense of unfamiliarity yet a desire to go on and explore.
Tue 8 Jan 2019
MarathonTalk - Martin's trip to Kenya
We had the pleasure of hosting Martin Yelling at our Kenya Impact Marathon in both 2017 and 2018. Aside from being one of the UK’s most famous runners - he hosts a hugely influentional running podcast, Marathon Talk and you can take a listen to his post-race review and interviews here…
Wed 26 Dec 2018
The best brands for ethical running gear
t's fair to say that one of the most common questions we get here at IMS HQ is 'What are the Finishers Shirts like?'. Runnings love stash!
Wed 26 Dec 2018
A CALL TO ACTION FROM 'THRIVE WITH JOE'
That’s the secret – the why. I go on these experiences because it erases any doubts of not being able to push myself. It enables a cleaner lens of what I (WE) can do to assist our local & global communities and go a step above our normal day to day.
Wed 26 Dec 2018
Asante Sana, Kenya, For the Memories
Throughout the week we learned, we cried, we felt inspired, humbled, shocked, excited, tired, energised, and exhausted. You go through a roller-coaster of emotions whilst having so much fun along the way.