Record Breakers

17/04/2008

Oasis Academy students break record for the fastest marathon!

On Thursday 3rd April, students from 7 of the 9 Oasis Academies, both open and opening in September '08, broke the record for the world’s fastest marathon.

A two hundred-strong team made up of budding athletes played their part in the ‘touch-relay’ which clocked up the required 26.2 miles or 422 laps in just 1 hour 46 minutes and 25 seconds – 18 minutes and 1 second faster than Haile Gebrselassie’s 2007 record of 2 hours 4 minutes and 26 seconds.

The marathon relay, in aid of anti-trafficking campaign STOP THE TRAFFIK, took place at Lee Valley Athletics Centre, North London, and was hosted by Actor Connor Byrne of Tracey Beaker and London’s Burning, alongside CEO of Oasis Community Learning, Steve Chalke MBE, himself a marathon fundraising record breaker and special advisor to the United Nations on community action against human trafficking.

The marathon record breaker was staged not only to raise awareness about human trafficking, but also to encourage relationships among current and future Oasis Academy staff and students. Steve Chalke, CEO of Oasis Community Learning, said:

“Bringing students together for this kind of event is key to our vision – building community. It was great to see them working together as part of a country-wide team to achieve this fantastic goal and to raise awareness for children around the world trapped in slavery.”