I have run several half marathons in the past but have never gone up to full marathon distance, and it wasn’t something that had really interested me too much before as the training commitment was so great. However, I felt that if I was ever going to do one it would always be London as it’s my home country’s biggest marathon, and after a few of my friends signed up, I was inspired to put my name into the 2024 ballot.

I was actually unsuccessful in my ballot entry, but on the very same day that I was rejected, New Balance came into my office (I work for ASOS) to put on a treadmill competition for all employees as part of our sportswear week. The challenge involved running at 20kph on the treadmill for as long as possible, with the person who could maintain that speed for the longest being the winner and winning the first prize of a New Balance sponsored place into the 2024 London Marathon. Once I found out that this was the prize I was determined to not let this opportunity get away, and after some serious exertion I was lucky enough to run for longer than anyone else and win top spot. 

As I won my place,I was under no obligation to raise money for a charity, but as it’s possible that I won’t make it into the London Marathon again I felt that it was a great opportunity to fundraise for a charity close to my heart.  After looking at all the charity partners of the London Marathon and coming across the work that Aspire does, there was really no other choice for me. 

In October 2021 and after a year of worsening and eventually crippling back and leg pain, I was diagnosed with a 2.5cm tumour very close to my spinal cord. Thankfully my tumour was non-cancerous and I was operated on quickly and expertly by Mr Casey and his team at UCLH and I have since made close to a full recovery, but things could very possibly have gone wrong and I may have ended up with a permanent spinal cord injury.

I did a lot of reading about Aspire and I was so inspired about the help and support that they can provide, especially with regards to helping people live more independent lives, and it means a lot to me that the money I am raising will go to this cause. 

My fundraising has been going really well and I have been humbled by the generosity of friends, family and colleagues, helping me to smash my original £2,500 target. On the whole, my training has been going well and, bar a few niggles which I’ve been managing the best I can, I’m hopeful that race day will go smoothly and that it’ll be a great day out for me and my family. I’ve been living in London for nearly 6 years now and to run through the city I call home and pass all the amazing landmarks on the way is something I’m so excited for, and I just can’t wait to get to the start.

Sponsor Adam

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