Palace fan Pete on how he made the Marathon March a family tradition

The 44-year-old Artificial Intelligence Consultant, who also volunteers with Palace for Life Foundation as a PlayMaker, reflects on how the March has evolved since its early days, and how he’s made the yearly event a fun family affair.

With the eighth Marathon March taking place TODAY (Saturday, 12th October), Pete and his family are gearing up to join over 200 Palace fans in a 26.2 mile walk around South London, supporting the Foundation's life-changing work and contributing to the half a million pounds that has been raised since the first March in 2016.

• Donate to the Marathon March

Pete moved to London when he was 19, leaving behind his hometown of Somerset where he had grown up as a Yeovil fan. After settling in Streatham, he soon found a new local club to support – Crystal Palace.

“When I moved to Streatham somebody said, ‘well you need a local football team’. Selhurst Park was just up the road and I started going to the games. I just fell in love with the club and Selhurst Park.”

Pete admits he was more of a casual fan as he settled into his new life in London. That was until his son Charlie was born and they started to go to Palace games together.

“I introduced him to the club when he was five or six. I remember watching him fall in love with the club, the players, Selhurst Park, and the whole matchday experience—the crowd and the fans.”

“This was reigniting my passion for Palace. Charlie and I have really been on this adventure together for the last 10 or so years for him, 20 years for me.”

This wasn’t where the passion ended for Pete. He caught wind of Palace for Life indirectly through a different fundraising event as part of his role as a Board Advisor to men’s suicide prevention charity CALM, when he was first introduced to the Marathon March by Palace for Life CEO Mike Summers.

“A bunch of us started to organise walks from club to club to raise awareness of men’s suicide prevention and mental health charity CALM.”

“On one of those particular walks, I got chatting to Mike Summers, he came along for the walk and it was a real eye opener. He spent a while telling me about Palace for Life, and I was telling him the work I was doing. I did my first Marathon March that same year and it’s just carried on from there! That’s also where I got involved as PlayMaker.”

Pete fondly remembers his first ever March back in 2017.

“It was spectacular: the number of other fans I met on that march, the staff, the club legends that were there... I made new friends and we raised quite a lot of money so I thought we could top that again. It’s become a bit of an addiction now!”

“Also, there’s not that many people who can say they’ve mooched through Beckenham Park with Eddie Izzard. What a privilege, everyone should do it.”

Pete credits his growing connection to Crystal Palace to his work with Palace for Life.

“The minute I got involved with the club via the Foundation, that passion for Palace intensified because you see the world of Crystal Palace from a different point of view.”

Pete’s 14-year-old son Charlie did his first Marathon March when he was – in Pete’s words – an ‘enthusiastic nine-year-old’. The first three he completed as halves, meeting his Dad for the latter stages at Kew Gardens and then onto Trafalgar Square when the March used to go through the centre of London.

Having had two knee operations just this year, Pete does wonder if he can keep up with his son this time around.

“I find it really fascinating, Charlie has grown from being an enthusiastic nine-year-old to a teenager. I thought his interest in doing this every year may dwindle, but he cannot be more excited about doing this every year than he was the first time he did it.

"And that blows my mind slightly – it’s the challenge, it’s the fact he loves the club so much. It’s the fact he sees the impact. He knows his privilege and sees the impact of what Palace for Life is trying to do and he’s all in!”

“The only problem I have now is that he’s quicker than me! Last year, he probably could’ve done it – at 13 years old – an hour quicker than I managed it. Who knows what he’s going to do this year. He might sprint off and hit the finish line before me!”

This year, attentions at their home in Herne Hill have turned to his daughter Phoebe, who is joining Charlie and his Dad at the March in October. Pete joked:

“She’s 11, and also a Palace fan and said to me this year, ‘I want to do it this year’ so she’s going to do half and it’ll be the three of us doing it for the first time. I think if it encourages young fans to train a bit to do something like this, then that’s only a good thing.”

“Great for fundraising too, a photo of a cute 11-year-old walking a half marathon! My teenage son is not so cute anymore so I can’t play that card. I’ve got no more children after that, so will have to find other ways of fundraising!”

This year’s Marathon March route will be kicking off where it always does at Selhurst Park. Participants will travel past Selhurst train station and through Croydon High Street, before hitting four parks in a row: Wandle, Beddington, King George’s, and Wandsworth, and many more sights along the way.

“We’ve seen bits of south London that we didn’t even know were there. And I’ve lived here for 25 years!

“The route planning is exceptional, especially in the last few years when we’ve been exclusively South London. We have all seen and learned about bits of London we didn’t know were there before.”

Pete’s top tips for anyone thinking about taking part? “Good footwear and don’t bring too much stuff!”

“You guys cater for us well, there’s a lot of snacking and lunch is always exceptional, just bring some water and some steady shoes.”

But why should Palace fans do the Marathon March?

“It’s something every Palace fan should do at least once to say they’ve done it and also just to understand the motivation behind what our community club really means. I think everybody should do it at least once.”

“For a few hours of a fun March, you learn an exceptional amount more about yourself, the club, what it means, what it represents and who it helps, and I think it’s worth it just for that.”

About the Marathon March

The Marathon March is now in its eighth year and has secured its place in the calendars of hundreds of Palace fans. Sponsoring this year’s March once again is the amazing Utilita Giving, who support people out of fuel and food poverty,

The Marathon March does what it says on the tin. It’s a marathon, but instead of running, we walk, talk, and make new friends and connections on the way. We always start at Selhurst Park and see some sights, like Clapham Common, Wandle Park, and Battersea Park on route, before finishing back where we started with a party at the stadium.

Never done the March before? Here’s five things every first Marathon Marcher should know.

Since 2016, Palace fans have raised over half a million pounds for young people across our community, and with a record-breaking total of participants last year – 200 – and money raised – £102,000.

The money you raise will towards three key areas of our work:

• Keeping more young people away from knife crime, violence and anti-social behaviour
• Helping more young people find career & job opportunities
• Supporting more young people with their mental & physical health

To donate to this year’s Marathon March, head here.

For more information on the Marathon March, head here.