It will be an emotional day when members of Ashford Striders Running Club take to the streets of the capital to take part in this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon.
For some it will be the latest in a number of marathons they have taken part in but for others this will be their first ever run at this distance. A daunting prospect for even the most experienced runner, so why endure the pain? Well for these Striders it isn’t just about the mental or physical challenge, it’s about something far more than that.
Kirsty Theobald describes her journey as a ‘couch to marathon’ story. She only began running in May 2018 when she was successful in gaining a charity place at London. She will be running for Phabkids which supports children and adults with disabilities to make more of life together. It is a cause she is already involved with due to her work with the Danny Hall Foundation set up in memory of her brother. Kirsty says “My motivation for running for Phabkids is to spread awareness of the charity and to raise as much as I can to help give these brave children memories they simply wouldn’t otherwise be able to achieve”. She hoped to raise £1,750 but has already topped that and is heading towards the £2,500 mark, through raffles, a comedy and magic night, stalls at local events and in local schools.
Kirsty’s longest run to date was in March where she endured strong winds and storms to complete a 20 mile course at Lydd. As well as supporting Phabkids, Kirsty’s motivation has been to get fit and to show that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. “I have always lacked self confidence and self belief and my running journey has really taught myself that I can and I will”.
Daniel Forbes has suffered from Asthma since childhood and took up running in October 2017 after deciding to try Ashford Parkrun. He has been running ever since and decided to sign up for the London Marathon after getting close to his 50th Parkrun. London will be his first marathon. “Training has been very hard, with injuries to my ankle from the first day”. He added “my brother and sister have made sure I keep up running, coming with me on runs when they can and joining Ashford Striders with me to keep us all motivated”. Daniel needs to raise £1,800 for his charity and has held a race night fundraiser as well as receiving support from local businesses.
Linda-Jean Delport is also running her very first marathon at London having only been running for one year; she is raising money for Whizz-Kidz – a charity which provides children and young people with vital mobility equipment, opportunities to meet and have fun, and training to help them gain skills for their futures. She needs to raise £2,000.
“I did my first run on 8th April 2018. It was 4.5km and at the end I thought I would collapse on the floor. I never imagined that just over a year later I would be running a marathon. Sometimes I still can’t believe it”. Linda’s longest training run has been 19 miles and she is looking forward to crossing the finish line in London. “I want that feeling of accomplishment and to know that all these months of hard work have not been in vain. It will be one of the proudest moments as I have never set myself a goal like this before and stuck to it”. Linda is offering local businesses the opportunity of having their logo printed on her marathon running vest in return for sponsorship towards Whizz-Kidz.
Scott Williams and Rachel Misson took part in the Paris Marathon on 14th April, with the challenge of running in London 2 weeks later. They are raising money for the MS Trust. This will be Rachel’s 41st marathon, but only Scott’s 3rd. Scott said “my sister was diagnosed with having this terrible, crippling disease in 2001. The MS Trust ensures that people with MS have the specialist care and information they need to get on with their lives”. So far they have raised nearly £2,500 of their £3,000 target. “Training has been tough” explained Scott, “the winter months, cold dark mornings and evenings and illness has meant we feel like we’ve not done enough but it’s too late to worry now”. They are looking forward to crossing the finish line and collecting their medal at the end, in front of the thousands lining the streets.
Jason Sanders is a run leader within Ashford Striders and is running for CALM – Campaign Against Living Miserably, a charity which supports male mental health. It is a charity he chose as he feels male mental health is still not spoken about enough. “It’s not always easy to ‘Man Up’ and get on with things. Men need to be able to get help and for people not to think any less of them if they’re struggling”. Jason has been running seriously since leaving the army in 2016. He started running with Ashford Striders around a year later, which he says gave him a purpose to run, but also found that running helped his own mental health.
The London Marathon will be Jason’s second marathon, and he says it has been on his bucket list for years. “It’s taken me 8 years of entering the ballot to get a place”. As well as training with the club twice a week, he has mixed this up with cross training and gym sessions. “On the day I’m looking forward to just being there and soaking up the atmosphere” he added, “and realising that all the time, training, dedication and sacrifice was all worth it”.
Fellow Strider Kath Atkinson is amongst those with previous marathon experience, but this will be her first outing in London. She is running for Action on Hearing Loss which is a charity close to her heart, as she suffered left sided hearing loss through Menieres Disease 8 years ago. “It has always been a dream to run London as it is so iconic. And this year as I turned 40 I decided it was the year to do it! Training has gone really well and I mostly run 3 times a week with Ashford Striders and friends”. She says she is motivated by the sense of accomplishment and to see how she can push herself, as well as the social aspect of running with friends. Kath has relied mainly on donations to help towards her £2,000 target and is hoping that by running the marathon she can raise awareness for the charity.
Charlotte Butler is another member of Ashford Striders taking on London – she is running for Save the Children. She is joined by Rebecca Hurley who was fortunate to receive a ballot place but has decided to raise funds for Crohns and Colitis UK.