What matters more, the destination or the journey?

29 Apr

The 45th London Marathon took place this month and it was a record-breaking event. London is now officially the world’s largest marathon, with over 56,000 people making it to the start line at the 2025 event; it also smashed the world record for the highest number of finishers, previously held by the New York marathon in 2024. Over 840,000 people applied to participate this year, which is another world record-breaking statistic.[1]

The desire people have to push themselves to the very limit of exertion can be motivated by any number of factors. For some, it is purely the physical aspect: the achievement of running a marathon, or beating a time set in a previous one. For others, it is something personal; a way to mark a special birthday, or in memory of a loved one. For many, it is to support a charity that is close to their hearts. Whilst final figures are not yet available for this year’s race, the 2024 London Marathon raised £73.5 million for various charities.[2]

The route of the London Marathon takes runners from the start point at Greenwich Park, east to Woolwich before turning back towards the city and following the south bank of the Thames. At Tower Bridge the route crosses the river to the northern bank. Runners then turn right to head east towards Canary Wharf, before looping back, retracing their steps to Tower Bridge, then continuing along the embankment, through Westminster and the ‘home straight’ of Birdcage Walk, before finally passing the famous gates of Buckingham Palace to reach the finish line on The Mall.[3]

The Journey

Whilst I’m sure you’ve found the above description of our capital city mildly engaging, you may be wondering where the link to Restore is going to come in! (I’m getting there. Bear with.) Runners reach Tower Bridge at roughly the halfway point of the race. By this point, no doubt energy is waning, legs are failing and motivation is running low. The temptation to turn left along Embankment instead of right towards Canary Wharf, omitting the 10-mile detour to the East and instead head straight for the finish line is – I’m certain – one that appeals to many runners at this point in the race. However, to do so would negate the point of running the marathon in the first place: you cannot say you have finished the race unless you complete all 26.2 miles of it! Whilst the finish line is the destination, the journey you take to get to it matters. However much pain and exhaustion it costs them, any marathon runner wants to complete to whole course.

The journey (be it through the London Marathon, or life in general) is about much more than just the route you take; indeed, the dictionary acknowledges a more abstract definition of the word ‘journey’ as “a set of experiences that someone has over a period of time, especially when they change the person in some way.”[4] Completing the London Marathon is not merely a journey of 26.2 miles; it is the training and mental preparation that it takes to get there, the experience of running one of the world’s most famous long-distance races and the right to say ‘I have done this’ forevermore afterwards.

At Restore we frequently employ this more metaphorical use of the word journey, when we refer to our residents’ path out of homelessness, or (for those who have a history with addiction) their recovery journey. Indeed, the experience of living in a Restore house, alongside the support package that we offer is intentionally designed to have a lasting impact on each individual resident. From the moment a resident moves in, our housing support team are there, working alongside people, getting to know them, and helping them to create a personalised support plan based on their own individual needs and requirements. Our outcomes star assessment method allows for regular checks on this support plan, in order to measure progress and adjust goals and objectives as necessary. In short, by the time a resident moves on from Restore, the support they’ve received should be a firm foundation upon which they can successfully move forwards into independent living. Residents often speak of the positive impact their journey through Restore has had on their self-esteem, confidence and independence: for example, former resident Kerry says she appreciated “knowing that the support was there if I needed it, but it wasn’t forced …giving me the freedom to find my way.”

The Destination

Of course, the destination is important too. It would be difficult to imagine anyone getting all the way to The Mall in the London Marathon, then deciding at the last moment simply not to bother crossing the finish line. So too the life journeys we all embark upon have to have a destination in mind. Whether it’s your career path, or plan for starting a family, or what you’d like to do in your retirement, we all have goals that we’re trying to reach. For our residents, their goal is a home. Not just a room in one of our houses to call home, but a home of their own, be that an independent tenancy, or reconciliation with family or a partner. The motivation to engage with support is strongest among those residents for whom the goal is deeply personal.

Running the Race

We often hear it said that life is a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s certainly true that one key lesson many Restore residents learn is the art of pacing themselves, as their journey may take longer than they would like. Think back to that point in the London Marathon where runners have to turn towards Canary Wharf instead of taking the shortcut to The Mall: tempting as it may be, nobody who turned left at Tower Bridge would receive their finishers’ medal, because they wouldn’t have completed the whole course. The same is true for our residents if they try to move through their support plan too quickly, without fully engaging with the foundational work that needs to be done in their lives first. Whatever the finish line looks like for each individual, trying to get there too quickly can often result in a ‘false start,’ or a setback that prevents them from reaching it. It is the job of our team to help in that regard, by setting regular, achievable objectives along the path – way markers, if you will – that help to demonstrate progress and maintain motivation.

I don’t know whether all this talk of Marathon running has inspired you. But, if you are encouraged by the journeys our residents undertake through life and want to encourage them, you can do so by supporting Restore. There are many ways you can get involved, and I would urge you to check out the following links to our donate page or our socials to find out more. However, if you are a runner, then we do have one particular opportunity at the moment which may be of interest to you: Restore has a small number of reserved places in the York 10k, which takes place on Sunday 3rd August. We are able to offer a secure base with parking for the first 10 to sign up to run on our behalf, at St Chads Hall, Campleshon Road, handily situated for the Start/Finish Line at The Knavesmire. We will have refreshments served from 10.30am – 12noon after the race for our runners. If you sign up with us and guarantee to raise at least £150 in sponsorship we will pay your entry fee. Contact events@restoreyork.co.uk by Friday 23 May to find out more.