Kelly’s Marathon Story

In October eleven Team Mary Ann runners finally got the chance to join 40,000 other incredible people and complete the world famous London Marathon route. They raised vital funds for the hospice. Here is Kelly’s story:

Supporting Mary Ann

I was keen to support Mary Ann as my Granddad received amazing end of life care from the nurses at the hospice and my other grandparents have both been volunteers for many years, so the charity has always been close to my heart.

Training

Upon gaining a place, I stuck to a training plan and followed it religiously up to the big day. I received a lot of support from my local gym, Nuffield Health. I was totally overwhelmed by the generosity from friends, family and my employer Trailfinders on JustGiving. This was helped by my regular progress updates on social media.

Running The Marathon

Running the London Marathon has always been something on my bucket list. Especially after being inspired by my sister Sophie who ran in 2019. I have always been an active person but hadn’t run long distance for years so I started the journey as a beginner. I was unsuccessful in the initial ballot but when I saw that Mary Ann had a charity place, I knew I had to apply.

The marathon itself was a very proud and emotional day. I have never before experienced an event on such a large scale with so much public support. I will remember it always.