Hello, thank you so much for checking out this page. My name is Rich and next April I will be doing something that these legs of mine are not very familiar with….running…a whole 26.2 miles of running!! But that’s what happens when you sign up to complete the London Marathon
after a few red wines on a Friday evening!

In March 2023, mine and my families lives were unfortunately changed forever when we had to say our final goodbyes to my truly amazing 33 year old brother.

Alexander lived his life to the absolute fullest, was the life and soul of any room and I can truly say I laughed my way through life with him by my side. Even in the most mundane situations, we would see the funny side and spending time with him was an absolute joy. He picked me up when I was down, would be someone I could trust with my life and I don’t know what I did to deserve a brother as good as him. I was so lucky.

Alexander was the king of fitness- loved all things tennis, kept himself in tip top shape at the gym, and was extremely conscious about every food and drink that went into him (unlike his two younger siblings). So to think he will be watching down on me as I try and struggle to complete a 26.2 mile run, well, I’m sure he would find the whole thing rather amusing!

He was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of cancer called Burkitts Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (only 200 people in the UK get diagnosed with this each year). However, despite nine months of absolutely gruelling treatment and enduring over 65 sessions of chemotherapy without moaning, we unfortunately lost him- something that we are all still getting our heads round now to be honest.

The marathon is something I never really gave much thought to in the past- it always just sounds like something so unachievable and absolutely gruelling that I could never understand why anyone would put themselves through it, and to be honest I really didn’t think I would ever be able to complete it. But I will complete it (even if the man dressed as a giant fridge returns from last year and overtakes me) and I will do it because I want to take on Alexander’s strong attitude that he had towards everything in life. I want to run it for him and really make him proud.

Although it cannot bring him back, the money raised from this marathon  will go to a truly fantastic cause. The North London Hospice helped Alexander in his final week of life. End of life care can range from years, to months or in Alexanders case, to just weeks. But making that time the best it can be is arguably one of THE most important things in life. Being around the people you love, with the comforts you need and the medical help you require to make the last period of your life as comfortable and happy as possible-well-I don’t think you can put a price on that.

And neither do The North London Hospice, which is why they help people every day to do this and don’t charge them a penny. And they are able to continue this amazing work by relying on kind donations from people like yourselves reading this page.

Anything at all that you are able to leave towards this run will go to the North London Hospice and the outstanding work they continue to do, and I am truly so grateful for any donations you are able to leave.

Thank you and I hope to see you next April at the London Marathon with me! xx