Will the CAMarathon get mainstream media attention?

Remember Bevan’s Run? If you do, it’s no thanks to the mainstream media, who mostly ignored it, as I blogged at the time. In brief: in January 2012 a doctor ran from the statue of Aneurin Bevan in Cardiff all the way to the Prime Minister’s constituency office in Witney, via the Ministry of Health in London, to protest against NHS privatisation. (The woefully under-reported Health and Social Care Bill was going through Parliament at the time.). The Guardian grudgingly ran a piece after the whole thing was over, but most of the publicity for the run came from activist websites and blogs. Anyway, the same doctor, Clive Peedell, is doing something similar again. He must have realised that running the equivalent of six marathons wasn’t enough to get media attention. So this time he’ll be running from London to Witney at night. Dressed as an undertaker. Carrying a coffin intended to represent the NHS. He’ll be joined on the run – which they’re calling the CAMarathon - by fellow oncologist Dr David Wilson, also dressed as an undertaker. As before, he will be stopping at various symbolic points and greeting crowds of people. He’ll probably also be joined by other runners, as before. My blog post last year was about the staggering lack of interest shown by the mainstream media. Will he get more coverage now that the Health and Social Care Act is law? Or will he have to try doing his multi-marathon runs backwards, in a sparkly bikini and heels? In other words: what exactly does this respected doctor, making a serious point about a hot-button political issue, have to do to get some attention? He comes to my home town of Witney tomorrow (Saturday 6th July) and I’m very interested to see what coverage he’ll get this time round in the local and national media.