12-marathon target in sight as Lil Wabbit’s runner aims to raise £10,000 for StreetVet
Lil Wabbit’s captain Jai Whitehouse is on the home stretch in his incredible 12 marathons in 12 months endeavour, raising money for the publisher’s chosen charity of StreetVet.
Despite never having run a marathon before committing to the physical ordeal, Jai already has 10 26.2-milers under his belt, and is going all out for the final two events on 23 November in Battersea Park and 22 December in Portsmouth so really wants to push the fundraising to hit the £10,000 mark before the end of January.
Lil Wabbit founder and director of happiness Georgi Doig and partner Jai – whose business title is captain – already work with StreetVet as their most popular collection features paintings of the charity’s real patients with a photo and paragraph on the back outlining each animal’s story and the care received.
“He started the year with a blistery run from Worthing to Brighton and back again,” Georgi laughed, as the January event was his first-ever marathon having only previously completed triathalons and half-marathons.
The pair even factored in their greeting card life by clocking up a quick shift around Bristol during the GCA Conference & AGM last month, and Georgi has also got the bug, completing her own first half-marathon as Jai ran the Sussex Denbies Vineyard event in the summer.
“That was marathon six completed,” Jai said. “And it was a fun one as I had Georgi with me, and my friend Will running his first full marathon. The course was a one-mile loop on an amazing vineyard in West Sussex and there was plenty of Pick ’N’ Mix and crisps to keep us going, so very little to complain about.”
With 10 laps of Battersea Park to come in November, followed by the Portsmouth run just before Christmas, the other events have been Goodwood motor circuit marathon, the Sussex Downslink, the hilly Leeds Marathon, Bath Two Tunnels, Budapest for a run along a section of the Danube, been joined by a Sussex run club on a trail round the Downs, and Tunisia for the final stretch of Hardest Geezer Russ Cook’s epic African challenge as one of the first runners to complete a mammoth 10,000-mile jog across 16 countries on the continent.
Jai added: “I was so excited to be able to join The Hardest Geezer on the final 27.3m (44km) of his run across the length of Africa. It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done. it felt incredibly hilly and so hot. I respected Russ’ mission a lot before I joined him, but I now have a new level of respect for what he’s done!”
Through sales of its cards since 2021, Lil Wabbit has already donated almost £10,000 to help StreetVet’s volunteer vets and veterinary nurses provide accessible care for the pets of homeless people and they’re hoping to double that through Jai’s efforts, which currently stand at £4,450 on the JustGiving platform.
“We have been blown away by the generosity of the greeting card industry with small and large publishers coming together to help Jai boost his fundraiser,” Georgi said. “What a joy to feel supported by the industry you work in.
“We would never have expected fellow small business to have sponsored Jai on his marathons – it has been such a lovely surprise to have the industry come around and give him a boost. Then again, I should have expected it as sending people nice warm feelings is exactly what we are all good at as greeting card makers!”
