As the nerves of those running in the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday (April 17) start to jangle, a band of Virgin Balloon Flights’ pilots and crew are excitedly preparing for big day themselves.
They will be getting up super early to get two Virgin balloons in place at the start lines in London's Greenwich Park to once again paint the town red and give support to the thousands of runners.
Look out for the Virgin Money balloon at the Red Start and the little Virgin Balloon Flights balloon at the Blue Start.
Last year, Virgin’s first year as the marathon sponsor, saw Sir Richard Branson running the race dressed as a butterfly and Holly and Sam Branson joining Princess Beatrice in a caterpillar which raised huge amounts of charity cash, so who knows what could be in store this year. Our balloon team will be tweeting their experiences from the race during the day.
Pilot Mark Simmons, who will be in charge of one of the balloons, said: “I tethered a balloon at the marathon last year and it was a fantastic day. It’s amazing to see how many people are up for the race and raising so much money for good causes. We’ll be cheering them on from the balloon basket!”
See our pictures from last year’s Virgin London Marathon.
Don’t forget that Virgin Money, Richard Branson and his daughter Holly are hoping to establish a Guinness World Record for the LOUDEST CHEER at the Virgin London Marathon this year. By recording a cheer on their YouTube channel you could win £100 for your chosen charity.
Give your cheer here!