Twenty three people are gearing up to take on the gruelling TCS London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April to raise vital funds for hospice care in north east Essex.
Nineteen of the people running to raise funds for St Helena Hospice in this year’s TCS London Marathon took up the opportunity of a Golden Bond place, and four secured their spots through the general ballot.
This will be the first time for novice marathon runner Andrew Barron from Chappel, hopes to finish the 26.2 miles in less than four hours. He said:
“Determination to cross the London Marathon finish line in one piece, is what motivates me!
“I’m running in memory of family members and a family friend who have been cared for by St Helena. The people there do wonderful work and provide incredible support in times of greatest need.”
The TCS London Marathon will be the third time Flic Keeble-Lennox from Tolleshunt Knights has run in support of St Helena, including the Virtual London Marathon during the height of the pandemic. Flic has also previously run the event for charity Mind.
Flic has been a runner on and off since she was 17 but only started long distance running when she secured her first Golden Bond London Marathon place to run for St Helena in 2016, in memory of her dad, Adrian Keeble, who died in 2014 aged 58. Flic said:
“I am running for St Helena for the 3rd time because of the care and compassion they gave my dad at the end of his life. Before then I had a hospice down as somewhere old people go to but after our family experience of my dad being cared for, my view changed.
“The Hospice is so much more than end of life care but that’s the care we experienced, and it is second to none. My dad’s awful pain was managed and Paddy the cat kept him company a lot of the time which was a great comfort to him, having always had cats.
“It meant so much to know my dad was never alone in the Hospice and he died with dignity. This is why I will always choose the Hospice to fundraise for, as the work they do is so important. I work for Hiscox who are very supportive of our local charities and are matching my fundraising for this event.
“I’m most looking forward to being part of such an iconic race with thousands of other like-minded people. Everyone has their own story about why they are running if they are running for charity, and that’s what makes it such an honour to be there. I love speaking to others and hearing their why; it gets really emotional.
“I’m not really going with a specific time in mind to finish the Marathon. I am a slower runner anyway, but I want to really appreciate and enjoy the crowds and take in the landmarks. This will be my first race since the pandemic and I just want to take it all in.
“My top tip for running a marathon is to work out what works for you. Follow a training plan, work out fuelling, and drink plenty of water. Run your own race – don’t compare yourselves to others getting faster times. We all run the same course and get the same medal.
“Also get your name on your shirt – the crowds shouting your name is a real motivator and really helps to get you to the end.”
Also looking forward to the iconic event is Wendy Bell from Colchester, who is fairly new to running after progressing from long distance walks to joining the Running Colchester group in January 2022, and then running the Virtual London Marathon later that year.
Wendy is motivated to run to keep fit and healthy and to run with friends. She said:
“The running community is so supportive and extremely different from what I expected, it is not competitive but supportive; we are all cheerleaders for each other and celebrate all the successes no matter how small it may seem. It’s quite astonishing how quickly you find yourself talking about running most of the time. I certainly never thought I would become a runner or find myself talking about it so much. I am learning all the time and the great thing about other runners is that they are more than willing to help and share advice with you. The running community spirit is special.
“I’m looking forward to the finish line mostly, but I have always wanted to run the London Marathon even before I ever thought about lacing up a pair of running trainers. It is certainly something that I never thought I would actually do; it was a pipe dream that many people have whilst sitting watching it on the television. If you told the old me that I would be running the Marathon for this fantastic charity I would never have believed you, but somehow here I am on the verge of completing an event I would have deemed impossible only a short time ago.
“I have the absolute privilege of running in memory of 27 people whose names will be printed on my St Helena Hospice running top. I have raised funds via ‘selling’ a mile for a name to be on my top. I have the love of 27 people carrying me around the course. I will have a card in my pocket with each of the names on and I will think about them each mile. When I cross that finish line, I am doing so with the cherished memories and love of 27 other people. That’s pretty special.
“I have been raising funds for St Helena Hospice for a few years now. As I learnt about St Helena Hospice via my fundraising, I was amazed at the variety of services and support they offer both within the hospice building and out in the community at large.
“To anyone thinking about running, do it. Put those trainers on and run. Runners are amazingly supportive; listen to the advice, train and work out what works for you. Running with others keeps me going.”
Some of Team St Helena have overcome injuries during their training and have been busy putting on fundraising events of their own to smash their fundraising targets. Lisa Chenery, fundraiser at St Helena Hospice, said:
“We can’t wait to spot all our amazing runners in their St Helena Hospice tops on Sunday 23rd April and cheer them all over the finishing line on The Mall in London.
“Some of #TeamStHelena are seasoned runners and others will be taking on this iconic event for the first time, and they are all fantastic.
“Together, all our marathon runners have so far raised more than £30,000 to help local people face incurable illness and bereavement, which is incredible. With rising food prices and increasing utility costs having a significant impact for St Helena, we need the support of our local community more than ever, and we’re so thankful to all our fantastic runners for raising as much as they can to help the patients and families in our care.
“They’ve all been training hard ready to take on the iconic TCS London Marathon and we are so grateful to them all for choosing to support us.
“Go #TeamStHelena!”
