The London Marathon is set to be the hottest on record with temperatures likely to reach 22-23 degrees!
If you are planning to head on down and join the crowds of people who turn up every year to cheer on the participants – give an extra loud cheer for our two fantastic runners, Claire and Brian!
Read their stories to find out more about why they are running for the love of St Mark’s:
Claire’s story –
“I’m running the London Marathon this year to raise funds for St Mark’s, a charity important to my friend Joe Dyer, after Joe recently passed away due to cancer. Joe was an important friend who I met while studying Maths at Manchester University, and I’ll never forget this charming and good humoured guy who always made you feel so special. Please dig deep and help me support St Mark’s Hospital Foundation in developing crucial research and innovation to dramatically improve the outcomes and health of bowel cancer patients.”
You can support Claire by visiting her Virgin Money Giving page here.
Brian’s story –
“I’m running the London Marathon (again) and I’m raising money for St Mark’s Hospital Foundation (again), the hospital that operated on me and nursed me back to health…. Let me explain. On 9th October 2013 (I don’t forget that date) I had major organ surgery. It was 100% preventative, to stop me getting terminal cancer in my 60s. I had a total colectomy and an ileo-rectal anastamosis. In simple terms, they took out my large intestine and joined up the end of the small intestine to the end of my rectum. Simples. ;-)…. All of this proves problematic when running. Needing the toilet often and lethargy. Great. Plus running is known for increasing the speed of your digestion so you don’t want to know how it makes me feel.
In 2015 it was all about getting round, I had close friends trying to talk me out of it as it was only 18months post surgery and I’d lost 18/19kg in the month straight after my surgery… I had a couple of regrets so I’d always wanted a second chance…. Plus I’d always fancied running it under 4hrs.”
You can support Brian by visiting his Virgin Money Giving page here.