Palace fans battle it out in Race Europe
69 Palace fans are virtually racing the 13 other London football clubs in an aim to Race Europe the fastest.
Three Crystal Palace teams are battling it out in a virtual race against the 13 other London clubs to see who can cover 6,720 miles in the quickest time throughout March, all in the name of raising money for Palace for Life Foundation.
Captained by Palace legends Mark Bright and Shaun Derry, Crystal Palace Eagles and Crystal Palace Glaziers are neck and neck in the leaderboard as they aim to overtake the likes of Chelsea F.C, Fulham F.C and Charlton Athletic.
Also joining us for the challenge are members of the Crystal Palace Women’s squad. With Amber Stobbs, Bianca Baptiste, Kate Natekiel and Chico Lyons joining the Crystal Palace Eagles team. Ash Goddard, Dre Gerogiou, Cherrelle Kassall, Shiv Wilson and Laila Braam are a part of the Crystal Palace Glaziers team.
Our third team, Crystal Palace SHEniors, is made up of Palace for Life women’s walking football and women’s recreational players, who are using this challenge to get more active and begin training for the Palace for Life Marathon March in October.
Every participant has pledged to complete the most miles possible throughout March, logging activities such as cycling, running, dog walks, football sessions and even gardening to raise money for Palace for Life.
So far we’ve had Swedish based Kent and Mikael logging miles with their daily walks, bowling training and rounds of golf. Wil in America has been logging his miles by going on runs up and down the Rocky Steps in Philadelphia. Chris has been getting his family involved, cycling in the Philippines. And Andrew Dowey, based in Germany, has cycled to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, home of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Closer to home, Mark Silverstein and Mark Taylor cycled around several London stadiums including Craven Cottage, Loftus Road, Stamford Bridge, London Stadium and Selhurst Park in a bid to help Crystal Palace Eagles climb higher up the table.
Whilst Crystal Palace Girls Under 12s player, Sara Pita, has been hard at work on her bike, resulting in her getting the ‘Yellow Jersey’ last week having completed the most miles out of everyone taking part across the entire challenge. She’s currently contributed an incredible 566.8 miles to the event!
So far the teams have raised almost £4,000 for Palace for Life, where all funds raised will support the Foundation’s work in the community through investment into solution-focused projects tackling some of the biggest challenges facing our community today including social isolation and health inequalities.
There are many people in need of support and for many months to come as the impact of Covid-19 continues to impact our communities and our people, affecting both their physical and mental health. Funds raised through this challenge will allow us to help those who need it the most.
You can support Palace for Life and those taking part in the challenge by donating here.