Hampshire Dad takes on London Marathon to help grant more wishes to seriously ill children
Jonathan Taylor, from Fleet, will be ticking off marathon 181 of the 200 he set as a lifetime goal.
Last updated 17th May 2024
A dad from Hampshire, who first took up running after a bet with a friend is now taking on the London Marathon in April on behalf of a charity that grants wishes for seriously ill children.
Jonathan Taylor, from Fleet, is running for Rays of Sunshine – a charity which grants magical wishes to seriously ill young people and will be ticking off marathon 181 of the 200 he set as a lifetime goal.
Jonathan often runs with Phoenix Running based in Surrey, which is a long-time supporter of Rays of Sunshine. Phoenix Running always puts forward a runner to be a part of #TeamSunshine each year and organises a ballot for the place which Jonathan won.
It was a serendipitous bet with a friend which first got Jonathan into running. He says he never liked PE or exercise while at school, and it wasn’t until his 30s, when a friend challenged him to run the Windsor Half Marathon, that he caught the running bug.
“I didn’t want to lose face, so I signed up and paid my entry fee,” he says. “But by the end of the race, I was feeling great. And I had a real realisation moment where it hit me that I’d had fun, and that I could do this more.”
It didn’t take long for Jonathan to progress to full marathons. In 2019, Jonathan ran his 100th marathon at Beachy Head and has continued running them ever since.
“The sense of achievement is like nothing else,” Jonathan says. “Early on, I was very focused on times and trying to get faster with each race. But actually, focusing on “collecting” these marathons into my total instead completely reframed it for me.
“It helped me enjoy it more. I could focus more on did I have a good time on this route? Did I get to see lots of scenery, meet new people and interact with the spectators?”
Jonathan’s love of running has taken him far and wide, as well as to some more unexpected places, including a course inside Shepton Mallet prison, and even a lapped event along Southend Pier. One that sticks out in particular was made up of 71 laps of a now-demolished multi-storey car park in Worthing.
While the London Marathon will be a departure from the more novelty courses he is used to, Jonathan is looking forward to running on behalf of Rays of Sunshine.
“As soon as I heard about the charity, I connected with it. We all wish the best for our children, and to see them go through a serious illness must be heart wrenching. I know that the work Rays of Sunshine does is so appreciated by parents and families – those memories of wishes are treasured.”
Jonathan will be taking part in the marathon alongside the rest of #TeamSunshine on Sunday 21 April 2024, and has so far raised more than £2,400 for the charity.
Amy Chambers, Director of Fundraising and Communications for Rays of Sunshine, says: “We’re so glad to have Jonathan on our team taking on this epic challenge, we can’t wait to cheer him and all our amazing runners to the finish line.
“Every penny Jonathan’s generous supporters give will help us to grant more magical wishes for seriously ill children across the UK.”
To support Jonathan’s London Marathon run, head to his JustGiving
To find out more about Rays of Sunshine, or to apply for a wish, visit www.raysofsunshine.org.uk