the 24 tour Paris to St Andrews

Twenty twenty-four is an exciting year for sport. It’s the summer of the Paris Olympics. But it’s also the centenary of a legendary Olympic story.

In July 1924, Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell claimed gold in the 400m, winning hearts and confounding critics after he had refused to compete on a Sunday in his favoured 100m event.

To celebrate Eric’s achievements, and his extraordinary post-Olympics life, we’re organising a relay challenge. Running 680 miles from the Olympic stadium in Paris to St Andrews, Scotland, it will raise funds for The Eric Liddell Community.

The cause

The Eric Liddell Community is a wonderful Scottish charity that offers care and support services for vulnerable people in Edinburgh, where Eric went to university. Based in a converted former church, the ELC provides a wide programme of support, from help for unpaid carers and people living with dementia to a popular community hub. Their vision, based on the values that Eric lived by, is to create a community “where no-one feels lonely or isolated.”

The challenge

The 24 Tour starts in Paris and will finish on the beaches of St Andrews, where the famous running sequence from the Academy-winning movie Chariots of Fire – based on Eric Liddell’s life – was filmed. It’s being run by students from two schools in England and Scotland: Eltham College, where Eric went to school, and St Leonards School in St Andrews, where the route finishes.

This event is a continuous relay, not a race. A group of 12 runners, supported by a 12-strong crew, will take it in turns to complete each leg of the 680-mile route, running through the day and the night. Along the route, the schools will be organising a number of events exploring Eric’s life and legacy.

In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory, there is a glory to be found if one has done his best.