Meet the Wiltshire people running the London Marathon
Who's running the world's most famous 26 miler from our county?
Hundreds of thousands of people are taking to the streets of London today (Sunday 20th April) for the 2024 London Marathon.
They'll be tackling the 26.2 mile route past some of the capital's most famous landmarks.
Among them are these people from Wiltshire - here's some of them:
Ollie Piper & Stuart Wakefield
Swindon duo Ollie and Stuart are colleagues at RWE Renewables and are running on behalf of the NSPCC.
Stuart says his two young children are serving as inspiration while Ollie says 'there's no better cause' than trying to eliminate child abuse and neglect.
Jo Cullen
Salisbury's Jo Cullen ran the virtual marathon in 2020 and is running this marathon for the Stars Appeal to 'give back' Breast Unit at Salisbury after her own diagnosis in 2022.
"Getting my cancer diagnosis was a big shock but I was very lucky to catch it early,” said Jo, who had surgery to remove the lump followed by a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.
“Nearly two years after my diagnosis, with all my treatment behind me, I am finally able to run the London Marathon after having to defer my entry twice due to surgery. I just want to finish and raise as much money as I can for the Breast Unit.”
Sophie Bagshaw
20-year-old Sophie, from Ludgershall, is also running on behalf of the Stars Appeal. The second year Adult Nursing student at Bournemouth University is on a placement at Salisbury District Hospital.
She said: “While doing my placement at the hospital it was a surprise to me how much was funded by the Stars Appeal and I wanted to contribute. Salisbury is also my local hospital that I’ve used for years so I wanted to give back.”
Sally Orange
Sally, from Salisbury, is no stranger to endurance events, having run a marathon on every continent in seven days in 2023. She's taking on this year's London Marathon on behalf of Samaritans, having recently celebrated her 50th birthday by swimming the St. Kitts and Nevis channel.
Dan Hughes
Dan Hughes, from Salisbury, is taking on his first marathon to support homelessness charity Alabaré.
Maree Lumber
Maree is running her first marathon on behalf of the Salisbury Hospice Charity. She explained why on her JustGiving page: "I have chosen to support Salisbury Hospice after they cared for my Mother in Law Eunice before she passed away in January 2022.
"She spent quite a lot of time in and out of the hospice, during her final months. She was in during covid when no visitors were allowed at one point which was extremely difficult for the family but having the knowledge she was being looked after in the hospice made it bearable. The hospice was vital in providing a secluded environment for her in her final moments where, we as a family could be there with her.
"Knowing the hospice runs off of sponsorship money alone, I wanted to combine this to help with my goal to run the London Marathon. Every year, Salisbury Hospice provides specialist palliative care to 1,000 local people with life-limiting conditions. It costs £2.9 million to run the hospice annually. So if anyone would like to sponsor me, I know it will be very well received."
Sam Butt
Sam is also running on behalf of the Salisbury Hospice Charity.
He said: "I always enjoyed running when I was younger and used to compete in cross country and athletic competitions so to be able to run the London marathon while helping this incredible charity is a win-win for me!!
"I chose this amazing charity as two of my closest mates have both had a parent who’s spent time at Salisbury Hospice and I have seen how in one of the hardest times, they can make things that little bit easier. See you all at the finish line!"