RIP Dad – forever in our hearts. I know you will be with me every step of the way on the 23rd & until we meet again. We love you...

Hi everyone! Thanks for taking the trouble to read about my marathon journey. It means a lot to me!

So how did it all begin? Well, I wasn’t very sporty at all as a child and never dreamt that I would ever run a marathon. I am living proof that we are all capable of far more than we believe. If I can do it, anyone can do it!

Two decades ago, I ran my first ever London Marathon as a fun runner. It's no exaggeration to say that this experience profoundly changed my life. Between 2003 and 2016, I ran thirteen more
marathons all over the world in Vienna, Berlin, Geneva, Cardiff, New York, Kathmandu and around the Dead Sea. In short, I became a fun-running marathon addict. 

Not only did it improve my mental health and fitness and lead to new running friendships at Cookham Club, the BBC Running
Club and all around the world, it taught me the importance of stepping outside your comfort-zone and it was a reminder to me that no problem in life is insurmountable. As anyone who has got the running bug will tell you, marathoning changes you from the inside out. To quote a running friend, Helen Krag: “Running connects you to the euphoria of life”.

I could write a book about the extraordinary running adventures I had both locally and internationally but suffice it to say that
they were life-affirming. After a knee operation in 2016, I was forced to stop running for a while, but then entered the ballot for this year's London Marathon and to my surprise, I was successful!

It's 7 years since I ran my last marathon and I am older, heavier and far less fit than I was in 2016, so I have very different goals this time! I simply hope to “jog” to the end of the 42km course
with a smile on my face. But most importantly, I would like to dedicate this personal challenge to my wonderful father, Ron Parfitt, who very sadly died on March 11th this year. My mum and I were lucky enough to be by dad’s side in his final days in hospital and I am incredibly grateful to Damian, Josh and Jack for allowing me this special time.

Dad was not only the best father anyone could wish for, he was my hero! Both he and my lovely mum have always taught us to be resilient, compassionate, kind and grateful. The last few weeks have been some of the hardest of my life and I have struggled to keep my training going alongside my work and family commitments. But at the back of my head, I can hear my dad cheering me on and wanting me to run on April 23rd.

I will be raising money for three phenomenal charities and would love it if you could make a donation however small. For the
last 10 years I have been an ambassador and trustee for a fantastic charity called Partners for Change Ethiopia. We're currently trying to fund the breakfast club for some of the most vulnerable children at Basso Primary School in Ethiopia. We're also trying to offer their parents and carers small business
training, so that the project becomes self-sustainable: (1) PfC Ethiopia Ambassadors | Facebook.

Secondly, I will be supporting Brighter Futures, a very important charity helping patients and their families at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon (brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk), who helped us
tremendously as a family before Dad died. The team also gave us a beautiful multi-coloured crocheted blanket and some hearts on the day he passed away. 

Brighter Futures is currently fundraising for many different projects at the moment, but I'd love to be able to donate a
bench in dad's memory so that patients receiving palliative care and their loved ones have somewhere to sit and pause for thought. We feel very blessed that dad received such fantastic care during the last few months of his life & would like to thank everyone at the Great Western Hospital, who looked after him.

Finally, I will be raising money for Maidenhead Foodshare, a charity we have supported as a family for a while. Its main objective is to help people in and around Maidenhead who are, for
whatever reason, unable to feed themselves and their families properly. Lester and his magnificent team are doing vital work in these financially-challenging times. 

Three very different charities all doing equally amazing work...

Wishing everyone who is taking part in the London Marathon on April 23rd lots of luck!

Run like the wind and most importantly, enjoy the journey! I'd like to leave you with my favourite quote:

"Boldness has genius and magic in it. Whatever you dream you can do, begin it now!" Goethe

Love and best wishes,

Sarahx