Why is a Northumberland woman running the London Marathon with a 'giant sail' on her back?
Last updated 23rd Apr 2023
It's one of the world's best known races and takes in landmarks such as Big Ben, the Cutty Sark and Buckingham Palace.
Thousands of runners of all ages and abilities are taking part in today's London Marathon - many of them wearing fancy dress.
Among them is Shay Speakman-Brown, from Doddington, near Wooler, who hopes to complete the 26.2 mile course dressed as a giant glucose monitor.
She works for Dexcom who provide the devices for people with Diabeties to measure their glucose levels, which means they rarely have to prick their fingers to draw blood.
Shay, who is running alongside work colleague John Grey, has already raised £10,000 for Diabetes UK ahead of the race start.
There's just one thing - she's never run a marathon before.
"We agreed to do this in January - so have gone from zero miles to 26.2 miles in four months," Shay told Greatest Hits Radio.
"People think it’s funny because I’m just not a runner but I have been training hard and hopefully I’ll make it round the track in one piece.
"Because of what we do and our work we thought it would be great to raise awareness and to raise money for an amazing charity.
"Doreen Shepherd from Kelso has designed special outfits in the shape of sensors for us to wear - so they are like giant sales on our back.
“The diabetes technology sensors are not available to everyone and we want to raise awareness as many people have to finger prick several times a day to manage their glucose levels.
"We want to raise awareness of the technology so people can ask for access to it.”
To support Shay, visit: https://2023tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/dexcoms-midnight-runners
Are you involved in a fundraiser you'd like us to share on the radio? Email our reporter: ally.mcgilvray@bauermedia.co.uk