Edinburgh University students participated in the annual Race2Paris event last week. Each year the event intends to raise money for various charities of the students’ choosing through sponsorships.
The event was organised by Edinburgh Raising And Giving (RAG), which is part of the Edinburgh Students’ Charities Appeal (ESCA), the largest student fundraising group in Edinburgh.
30 students departed from Pleasance Courtyard at 9:00 am on Friday 22 November. They attempted to travel 682 miles and arrive at Paris before 9:00 am on Sunday 24.
The students, who entered in teams of two, were not allowed to make any travel plans before the event began.
They were also limited to paying for travel fares with money donated to them during the 48 hours.
Together, the 15 teams managed to raise a total of £15,449 for both Edinburgh-based and international charities.
Sukey and Seb together were Team Escargogogo, who came 5th place out of the 15 teams and managed to raise over £1,000 for the Alexander Moschini Trust, a charity that focuses on men’s mental health.
They told The Student that they found the experience “incredible”.
“Seb and I did a great job at mutually supporting each other in moments of panic and misery,” Sukey added.
These moments included being stuck at Dover between 4:30 and 7:00 amid rain and hail.
But these low moments seem to have highlighted the positives of the experience for this pair, who said that “people were so kind” and that they “went hours out of their way to drive us […] instead of going home and sleeping”.
Alice and Sophie, or Team Thumbs Up To Paris, raised over £1,400 for Parkinson’s UK, a charity with a personal connection to the pair as Alice’s grandfather had been diagnosed with a rare form of Parkinson’s.
Sophie said: “The hitchhike was a lot harder than we thought!”
“Lots of people weren’t willing to pick us up […] there were a few moments when we really did not think anyone was going to take us, especially after getting stuck in several places for over four hours”.
However, the pair arrived safely in Paris in 35 hours, coming 9th place.
All but one of the teams managed to make it to Paris within the allotted time.
To ensure the safety of the participants, members of Edinburgh RAG tracked the teams and ensured they checked in regularly over text.
Participants were then encouraged to do some sightseeing in Paris before making their way back to Edinburgh.
“Eiffel Tower” by szeke is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.