UPDATED:  So nearly 3 years after getting my place, I will finally be running the London Marathon on Sunday 2nd October 2022.

I should have been running it in April 2020 (but Covid scuppered that!), then October 2020 (but Covid again!!) so now it's October 2022.

I am now three years older, a lot slower, have been diagnosed with asthma and if I'm brutally honest, am sick to death of running, having been training on and off for the last three years.

BUT... my reasons for running and raising money are still exactly the same... I want to say Thank You to the British Heart Foundation; their research and work definitely helped to save my dad's and Brian's lives when they both had heart attacks in 2019. (Brian has since had another heart attack, September 2022, but thankfully not as severe).

Any donation you can make is so very appreciated. I promise I'll never be doing anything so ridiculous as running a marathon again so won't be asking again! 

Thanks so much for your support, Vicki x

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On 26th April 2020, I am running the London Marathon in aid of the British Heart Foundation. 

Having lived in London for many years and been a part of the incredible atmosphere, I have always wanted to run the London Marathon but (luckily for me) I have never felt l had a strong enough link to any one charity to apply for a place. That unfortunately changed this year. 

Within a few months of each other, both my dad & husband suffered serious heart attacks. 

In January, Dad had a heart attack and needed emergency surgery to have two stents fitted.

At the end of August, Brian had a heart attack and needed an emergency triple bypass.

As a family we were incredibly lucky because they both survived and for the most part will be back to normal (although butter, cheese, alcohol etc will all be a dim & distant memory!!)

The care they both received at the Royal Stoke University Hospital was absolutely incredible but it’s also all the research & work the British Heart Foundation undertake every year that has definitely helped saved their lives. 

Since the BHF was established the annual number of deaths from Coronary Heart Disease in the UK has fallen by more than half. The British Heart Foundation’s vision is “a world free from the fear of heart & circulatory diseases”. 

To enable them to carry on with their work, which has undoubtedly helped me to still have a husband and a dad around, I am now trying to raise money for them by running the London Marathon. 

Any donation you can make is very much appreciated and will help to get me round the 26.2 mile course (what was I thinking signing up to this?!!!)

And I’ll apologise now for all the Marathon updates I’m undoubtedly going to bore everyone with!!

Thank you again for your support. Vicki x