I was talking with my sister and she mentioned that she has entered the London Marathon ballot a handful of times and has never been successful. It got me thinking and it inspired me to secure a place to do it.

Sponsor Tom

I haven’t run any marathon before, let alone the London Marathon. I’ve taken part in 9 Tough Mudders (a 10 mile obstacle race) in various places around the country and I ran the Dorney Lake Half Marathon at Dorney Lake in October. It was the first half marathon I’ve done and I loved it because everyone was giving advice and encouragement before and cheering each other on during the event.  I’m excited to be taking on The One by the Canal Half Marathon in November.

It will mean the world to me to run the London Marathon and it’ll most likely be one of the best experiences I’ve done, if not the best experience. I’m not going to wear bone conducting headphones (the only headphones you’re allowed while running marathons) as I want to soak up the atmosphere and the noise from the crowd.

I chose to run for Aspire as the charity means a lot to me. The Aspire Leisure Centre is where I went for my swimming lessons and it’s now where I work, so I know first-hand what the charity does and how much it means to people who have a spinal cord injury.

I’m lucky enough to work with some wonderful people who have a spinal cord injury – Joe Gilbert and Graham Burns to name just two – and I know how much Aspire means to them.

I’ve raised just over £1,300 so far, so not far to go to get to my £2000 target but I’m hoping to raise way more.  As well as asking people to sponsor me, I ran a sweepstake for the Woman’s Rugby World Cup in September and I’m doing a quiz night in November. I’m also planning to shave my head in January – I will sell raffle tickets and I’m going to pick one, and that’s the person who’s going to shave my head! It’s proving quite popular with staff and customers already, which is making quite nervous.

Training is going well so far. I ran 10 miles the other week and it felt ok. I know it’s going to get tougher, but it’s worth it as I’m doing it for a great cause.

Sponsor Tom

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