MILLIONTH FINISHER NAMED AS RECORD NUMBER APPLY FOR 2017 - LONDON MARATHON

Had a number of requests about ‘my time at London marathon’ and thought this – the release about the 1millionth finisher was an appropriate time to put a few snaps up that shows the work (hard, hard work) that goes into getting people to look good for the cameras.

Many thanks to all the snappers down there who sent good (and bad) pictures for me - most of them I couldn’t really put up on site, and I look forward to seeing most of you in the coming year at various athletic events and other such like places.

The millionth finisher to cross the line in the London Marathon is 39-year-old Shannon Foudy from Hemel Hempstead, who was running her first marathon on Sunday 24 April.

 Shannon ran to raise money for the Luton & Dunstable Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that saved the life of her daughter. In January 2010,

 Shannon, a serving police officer who works as a schools and youth engagement sergeant in Barnet, said: “I knew about the #oneinamillion campaign and it’s unbelievable that I am the millionth finisher. I ran to say thank you to the Luton & Dunstable NICU and it is the most
worthwhile thing I have ever done.

 Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the Virgin Money London Marathon, said: “Shannon epitomises the spirit of the London Marathon. She was a novice runner inspired to take on the challenge of 26.2 miles for a very personal cause and it’s wonderful she is our millionth finisher.”

 Shannon was presented with her unique #oneinamillion t-shirt and also receives a guaranteed place for the 2017 event.

 A record number of 253,930 UK applicants had registered for a ballot place in the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon when the application system closed on Friday 6 May. This is more than 6,000 up from the previous record of 247,069 applications for the 2016 event.

 Just under 56% of the applications for 2017 were from people who have never run a marathon and more than 43% of the total applicants were women (also a record).

 “These numbers reflect the huge success of the 36th London Marathon on 24 April,” said Brasher. “One of our goals is to inspire people to take up sport and more than 142,000 people have been inspired to apply to run a marathon for the first time in 2017.

Nice to see that one of the best events in the world is still pulling in the applications.  I look forward to seeing lots of my friends next year down on St. Katherine’s Dock.

Again thanks to Eileen Jacus and Gary Mitchell photo for these ones on the blog and I apologies if I haven’t credited you and you see you photo here.

Take Care

Ed

Virgin Money London Marathon - runners stories

The Virgin Money London Marathon is the world's largest one-day fundraising event and more than 75 per cent of the 37,000+ runners on Sunday 24 April will be raising money for charity, adding to the incredible total of £770+ million raised in the first 35 years of the event.

 

Here are some of their stories: 

 

London-based Orin Lewis (OBE) will be running in memory of his son Daniel De-Gale who in 1999, aged six, was the first black individual in the UK to receive a life-saving stem cell bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. Daniel beat the leukaemia but died in 2008 from multiple organ failure. Orin is hoping to raise £20,000 for the charity African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT), the charity he and his wife Beverley founded 20 years ago. 

 

Running in memory of her daughter Pennie, is Natasha Greenway from Caerphilly in Wales. Pennie was in cardiac arrest when she was born in July 2015 and despite the best efforts of the medical team, Natasha and her husband had to make the heart-breaking decision to turn off the life support machines. Now, Natasha and her sister-in-law Emma will run to raise money for the charity The Lullaby Trust, which has supported their family through their loss. 

 

After her own personal battle with a rare and aggressive form of cervical cancer, West Lothian resident Heather Duff will be running to raise money for the charity Cancer Research UK. Now in remission, Heather will be making her London Marathon debut after running the Mini London Marathon in 1999 aged 12. She promised herself that she would one day return to take on the 26.2-mile challenge and will fulfil that promise on 24 April for the charity she credits with saving her life. 

 

Family rivalry will take centre stage when Nicholas Finill runs the London Marathon for the first time alongside his father Chris, one of only 12 'Ever Presents' who have run every London Marathon since its inception in 1981. The last of three siblings to follow in his father's footsteps, Nicholas is running in support of the Orchard Vale Trust, a charity that improves the quality of life for people with learning disabilities and their families.

 

Grace Havard will run the London Marathon two years after a car accident left her in an induced coma. She was left with 28 broken bones, a punctured lung, her liver split in half and part of her bowel removed, and skin grafts on her thighs and arms. Having made a swift and miraculous recovery, Grace has now set her mind to running the iconic course to raise money and awareness for St George's Hospital, where she was cared for in the aftermath of the accident.

 

Every year, the Virgin Money London Marathon press office receives hundreds of moving and inspiring stories from the thousands of runners who are preparing to take on the challenge of running the marathon. One runner taking that challenge to new heights is Ben Smith from Bristol who is not only running a marathon on 24 April but aims to complete 401 marathons in 401 days, across 309 locations in the UK. The London Marathon will be number 237. 

 

Ben is hoping to raise £250,000 for the charities Stonewall and Kidscape in their bid to tackle the issue of bullying in society, particularly in schools. Having suffered from bullying himself, Ben knows the trauma and destruction it can cause after he twice tried to take his own life as a young adult. Now 33, he is hoping that his epic challenge can help others learn that no matter what happens in life, there can be a positive outcome. 

LONDON MARATHON BALLOT RESULTS GO OUT NEXT WEEK

• Record number of applications for 2016

• Every applicant to be given access to a free download of the Digital Virgin Money London Marathon

 

The wait is nearly over. From next Wednesday (30 September) the 247,069 applicants for the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon will find out if they have been successful in the ballot and have a place in the race on Sunday 24 April.

 

The record number of hopefuls applied for a place through the ballot after the decision was made to keep the application process open for five days. More than 55 per cent of the applications were from people who have never run a marathon and more than 42 per cent of the applicants were women.

 

Everyone who has won a place in the ballot will receive a confirmation and magazine through the post. Unsuccessful applicants will receive either a magazine or will be emailed an e-zine. 

 

Applicants who have not received their ballot result are asked to wait until Wednesday 7 October before contacting the London Marathon helpdesk.

 

In addition, every applicant in the ballot – successful or unsuccessful – will be sent a link for a free download of the full Digital Virgin Money London Marathon when it is launched later this year. This year, the digital marathon download will be available only for use on iPhones or iPads. 

 

“We know that there will be a huge number of disappointed people and therefore decided to give everyone who applied a free download of the Digital London Marathon when it’s available later this year,” said Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the Virgin Money London Marathon. “I’d also remind everyone that there is still a chance to gain a place in the 2016 race by fundraising for a charity. Charities with places available are listed on our website.”

 

Runners in the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon raised more than £54.1 million for charity setting a new record for an annual single day charity fundraising event for the ninth successive year. That brought the total raised for charity by the world’s greatest marathon past the £3/4 billion (more than £770 million) since the event was founded in 1981.