Flora London Marathon 2006: Stories
Congratulations to all our runners. We had our biggest team yet - with 142 runners. Thank you to everyone for your tremendous efforts not just in running the 26.2 miles but also your commitment to the training and fundraising.
We had some very fast finishers as far as we know our top 4 are:
- Dexter Haywood, pictured, who finished in 3:05:28 and was 5th in his age group
- Peter Riches second with a time of 3:08:52
- Our third place finisher was Andrew Davis, who did it in 3.06.06.
- Howard Kee managed a personal best time of 3:10:53 despite having a balloon tied to him - without that maybe he would have run 3 hours! He told us: "Can't believe it myself, surpassed all my expectations and on top of that some sponsorship still trickling in too, wonderful result all round! The letters really helped on my vest, I had sooooo many people shouting my name out it really spurred me on right to the end."
Suffolk GP and father-of-four, Dr Mac Speake, ran the London Marathon for the 26th time this year – having completed EVERY London Marathon since it began in 1980.
Dr Speake, 64, now semi-retired, from Kettlebaston, near Ipswich is one of only 28 people who have taken part in every single London Marathon. He said: “This year I’m running for The Prostate Cancer Charity to raise awareness of the inequalities between the health care that men and women receive. Prostate cancer has affected me in my personal and professional life. A lot of my older friends have prostate cancer. It is a disgrace that there is still no satisfactory screening test or enough central research funding into this disease.”
Dr Speake is married to wife Ros, 63, a retired caterer, and they have four children Rachel, Williams, Douglas and Peter and two grandchildren. Ros and the children have also all run the London Marathon at different times. This year Dr Speake ran without his family but they cheered on the sidelines.
Dr Speake added: “At school I was no good at ball games so running was my thing, and, like anyone who collects things, now I can’t stop. It’s a wonderful atmosphere and the best bit about The London Marathon is the huge sense of achievement on finishing after all those months of training and that it’s open to everyone – anyone can do it. I have a break for a week and then I say to my wife ‘It’s only 51 weeks until the next Marathon’.”
To ensure Dr Speake got a place in the first London Marathon he queued overnight on the pavement outside his local post office - he has no plans to stop running the event.
Julian Plummer, 38, a professional musician with the Halle Orchestra, from Prestwich, Manchester ran the Flora London Marathon for us because his dad and almost certainly his grandad have suffered from prostate cancer.
Julian who is married with two daughters said: "My dad has told me how much The Prostate Cancer Charity has helped him tackle this horrible disease and I have been thinking of ways I can help the Charity. Until recently, I had no idea how many people suffer from the disease and I know there is a strong possibility that I could be affected by it in the future. I want to help men and their families get the support and information they need by completing this run for the Charity."
Julian’s dad Godfrey Plummer, 76, a musical teacher from Lancashire said: "I am very proud of Julian for the effort has made in running for this important cause. It is marvellous to think how far things have come. My dad suffered terribly with enlarged breasts and hallucinations but his illness was never discussed openly in my family and he was very much in the dark about his treatment. I am very grateful for how much things have moved on and feel really lucky that at my cancer is being controlled with limited side effects and I have received all the support that I have had."
Julian has been a runner for years but this was his first marathon. Julian was expecting to do the run in three and a half hours but suffered a stress fracture a month ago, consequently the 26 mile course hurt a great deal. Nontheless he managed to complete the course in just under six hours.
If anyone would like to sponsor Julian please go to his Just Giving page. Julian has already raised: £2,248.54 for the Charity, which is more than his target.
Bryn Griffiths ran dressed as Sammy Sperm. A group of five family members ran together including his two brothers, John and Huw, his cousin, Gareth Davies and brother-in-law Roger Bennett. Bryn, a garage worker lost his father to last year (not to prostate cancer).
Bryn said: “Running has helped me a little to cope with my grief. My dad would have been exceptionally proud of us if we manage to complete the marathon and raise money for charity. I hope to complete it in honour of his memory although I suspect the costume will make it a lot harder to get round the course.”
Bryn bravely kept his costume on until the end despite the rain and a painful knee, he finished in 7:03:59 and this is a picture of him at the 21 mile mark. Huw won the family race in a time of: 3:32:13. John and Roger stayed together and both had a time of 5:30:33. Gareth finished in 4:50:56.
Pete Bell is a Sun Online journalist who ran the Flora London Marathon for us and finished in 3:53:15, breaking his four-hour target by seven minutes - a personal record.
You can read his blog here, and you can still sponsor him at his Just Giving page.
Paul Kneeshaw ran in The 2005 Great North Run and trained hard for the Marathon. Paul begun running to support his children, who were getting increasingly sporty, and to tackle his weight. Paul, a Manufacturing Technical Supervisor, weighed nearly 14 stone and tried dieting but found that running was the best way to tackle his weight.
He enlisted the help of his local football team, Canvey Island, and they mentioned him in one of the match day programmes and gave him a signed shirt which he auctioned on Ebay.
Paul ran The Prostate Cancer Charity because his grandfather, with whom he was very close, passed away last year from prostate cancer after a ten year struggle with the disease. Paul said: “However hard I find the marathon to run, nothing is comparable to what my granddad was going through.” Paul’s wife and family were there in full support on the day in their Prostate Cancer Charity t-shirts. Wendy (41), daughter Sophie (15) and son Cory (12).
Paul told us: "After doing my longest training session of 22½ miles, my emotions got the better of me, I had visited both my grandparents memorials at the Crematorium in Margate the day before, and I think this hit me again, as well as the difficulty of the run itself. I found it a bit hard at times after that to stay non-emotional. All the support from my wife Wendy, and children Sophie and Cory was superb. I felt almost guilty I was getting so much attention just because I was doing the Marathon.
Throughout my last few weeks training, I often thought about how good the feeling would be to see all of you cheering, and seeing the family cheering at Narrow Street . This was a dream come true ! Of course I thought so many times during the run about both my grandparents, and especially my grandad, and how proud he was, when he was telling all the nursing staff about me at the Hospice where he spent his final days.I knew I was doing it for him, and how I hoped he was watching from above.
I couldn't believe I contracted a cold on the Tuesday leading up to The Marathon, I so rarely get any colds, but although it still lingered a little even on Sunday, I felt OK. Then after all the preparation and getting to the start, and whilst waiting with all the other runners, I got a cramp in my left foot, I never had a cramp throughout all my training, and was somewhat scared I wouldn't make the initial stages of the race; but it went, and to cut an even longer story short .... I made it, not in the time I really wanted, but the I'm proud to own a medal, and to have had the experience that goes with it."
Paul finished in 4:34:35.
Catherine Lee, our Helpline Assistant, ran Marathon in three hours 54 minutes and has already raised £2,387.68.
Catherine said: “It was a truly an amazing day. I have wanted to run the Flora London Marathon for a few years but I only got a place through the open ballet this year. Although I had a guaranteed place, I was really keen to fundraise for The Prostate Charity because I can see the importance of helping improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer. I assist the Helpline nurses who talk to more than 16,000 calls a year from people who have been affected by the disease and I see every day the important difference we can make. It was great to have so many Prostate Cancer Charity employees supporting me on the day. Their cheers put a smile on my face that got me round the route. I can honestly say I really enjoyed myself, even though my smile was slightly worn by the end!"
Verity Vincent, our Corporate Partnerships Executive, ran the Marathon in four hours two minutes. Verity has already raised £2,177.56 for us.
Verity said: "Working at The Prostate Cancer Charity, has given me first hand experience of talking to the men who have learnt they have prostate cancer and their families. I am extremely passionate about the cause and want to play a part in helping improve the quality of service these men and their families receive.
Training for the 26.2 mile run on top of my full time job as Corporate Partnerships Executive has been an enormous commitment. I have had to overcome a number of injuries with my back, ankles, and knees. My physiotherapist Rhys from Fulham Physio has played a crucial part in getting me back on track. I have been running five times a week on average, endured 10 sessions of acupuncture, worn down two pairs of shoes, and have clocked up 420 miles to date. Running a marathon has been a life-time ambition and the chance to put something back into the community inspired me to sign up for this year’s London Marathon.
"I have had a lot of support from friends, family and colleagues at work which has made a huge difference to the experience. My fundraising activities have involved a football sweepstake, ‘guess the number of sweets in the jar’ competition, selling home-made cards, haircuts donated by my partner Ivan, and a pasta night at Luigi’s Pizzeria in Hammersmith. Taking part in the run was amazing experience but I am glad it is all over".
Colin and Leanne Fergusson are a husband and wife team.
Colin, 54, an orthopaedic surgeon from Reading, married Leanne in August last year after undergoing surgery for his prostate cancer.
Colin said: "My fiancée at the time, now my wife, was a keen runner and got me through the major operation. She encouraged me not only to get my health back, but to exceed my former fitness. I have found it a positive way of getting something out of the process so that I genuinely feel better than I did before. I’m not just a survivor; I am as fit as a racing snake.
“Although test results indicate I have beaten the cancer, I know how important it is to support this cause. Since I started my fundraising, a doctor who I work with has lost her father to this disease, and he was not a great deal older than me. This also happened to another colleague’s brother-in law who was my age. These personal and tragic experiences reinforce the need to raise the awareness of this condition.
Colin had a routine blood test which resulted in a prostate cancer diagnosis and an operation to remove his prostate gland two years ago in a Reading hospital.
His wife Leanne, 37, a theatre nurse from Reading said: “We are running for The Prostate Cancer Charity to help raise money and show our support for this much needed cause. We had only just met at the time Colin discovered he needed an operation for cancer. I was at his bedside and we are very pleased with his recovery.”
Leanne finished ahead of her aim at 3:53:47 and Colin finished in 4:57:07.
Trudy Roberts ran for us last year and ran for us again this year, finishing in 5:36:31. Sadly her dad, who was there to cheer her on at last year's run, recently died of Prostate Cancer.
Harvey Harding will be running a total of 104.5 miles over several events and raising money for us and other charities. Just look at the list of runs he's doing this year:
Liversedge Half Marathon (12th Feb) 13.1 Miles
Doncaster "Norton 9" (5th March) 9 Miles
Ackworth Half Marathon (2nd April) 13.1 Miles
Flora London Marathon (23rd April) 26.2 Miles
Leeds Half Marathon (7th May) 13.1 Miles
Sandal Castle 10K (21st May) 6.5 Miles
Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge (3rd June) 23.5 Miles
He finished the Flora London marathon in in 4:32:20.
Rachael Carter ran for us alongside her dad, who actually finished 20 minutes earlier.
For Kevin Williams and his wife Jane fitting in the hours of training was tough, and Jane had the additional challenge of battling against a congenital muscle disorder which has resulted in 10 operations including three on her spine and hips. Until August last year, when the couple started their training, Jane had not run a single step in her life.
At 17 stone, Kevin is not a typical marathoner either and the day of the Marathon was also Kevin’s fortieth birthday, so there was much to celebrate when the couple crossed the finish line.
Jane's father, Chris Williams, died in June 2005 of Prostate Cancer. He was a fit, healthy man who never smoked or drank throughout his life. Chris raced motorbikes from his teens until just a few years before he died. He was an inspiration to many.
As part of their fundraising the couple recently organized a Golf day at Gatton Manor