Fundraising stories

‘I’m running in my wedding dress to honour my husband’ 

Laura Coleman-Day, 33, from Lincoln  

Laura will be running her 12th marathon in as many months when she takes on the 2025 TCS London Marathon to raise money for Anthony Nolan, in memory of her late husband, Xander.   

Laura first ran the TCS London Marathon in 2023 to thank the charity for arranging a successful stem cell transplant for her husband after his leukaemia diagnosis in September 2022.   

Unfortunately, Xander’s health rapidly declined just several months on from Laura completing her first London Marathon, due to graft-versus-host disease, where the white blood cells he had received from his transplant were attacking cells in his liver, and he passed away in February 2024.  

Laura chose the 2025 TCS London Marathon to finish her challenge because it falls on a special day: the date of her wedding anniversary with Xander, and she will be running the entire marathon this year in her full wedding dress.   

Paralympian aims to become the fastest person to complete a marathon on crutches 

David Wetherell, 33, from Plymouth  

David is a three-time Paralympian who competed for Team GB in table tennis and was born with a hole in his heart as well as multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, which affects the growth at the ends of long bones in the body. 

He is seeking to set a new Guinness World Record in his first TCS London Marathon as the fastest person to complete a marathon on crutches.  

Due to his limited mobility and his joint pain, David puts 100% of his body weight through his arms during marathons and finished the Barcelona Marathon last year in 5:44:05. 

David will be running this year alongside his best friend, Mehdi, to raise money for Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes UK, on behalf of Mehdi’s daughter, who has Type 1 Diabetes. 

‘I will carry the spirit of Rob’ 

Lindsey Burrow, 42 

Lindsey will be running in memory of her late husband, Rob Burrow CBE, a former rugby league player for Leeds Rhinos who passed away in June 2024, five years after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). 

Rob is survived by Lindsey, who works as a physiotherapist at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and their three children. She will take part alongside her brother, Mark, to continue raising money for both Leeds Hospitals Charity and Leeds Rhinos Foundation, the official charity of Rob’s former club. 

Rob was diagnosed with MND in December 2019, just two years after retiring from a glittering 17-year career at Leeds where he made just under 500 appearances and won 13 trophies, including eight Super League titles.  

However, with the help of his former team-mate and close friend Kevin Sinfield, he went on to help raise more than £15 million for MND charities through extensive charity fundraising and campaigning for MND awareness. Both men were awarded CBEs by Prince William in the 2024 New Year Honours, five months before Rob passed away aged 41. 

In December 2024, Leeds Hospitals Charity announced it would open the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease this summer, a state-of-the-art centre designed to care for people living with MND, after its fundraising target of £6.8 million was reached. 

Speaking about what the 2025 TCS London Marathon means to her, Lindsey said: “Running the London Marathon after losing my husband, Rob, to motor neurone disease is not just a physical challenge; it's a deeply personal journey of love, loss, and resilience.  

“As I lace up my shoes, I carry with me the spirit of my beloved husband, Rob. His strength in the face of MND inspires me to push beyond my limits and find purpose in the midst of loss. This marathon represents not only a tribute to his incredible fight but also a celebration of the love we shared and the memories we created.  

“Each mile I run is a testament to his enduring legacy, a reminder that even in the darkest times, we can find purpose and hope. I am running for him, for all those affected by this disease, and for the belief that together, we can make a difference.” 

Marathon Day marks three years clear of breast cancer 

Sam Impey, 40, from London  

In 2022, just six weeks into married life, Sam was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer at the age of 36. She then underwent a blood transfusion to complete treatment, which ended with a double mastectomy.  

Just 10 months after her final round of chemotherapy, she ran her first half marathon with her best friend, Phil, raising more than £4,000 for Macmillan. 

Sam will be taking on the TCS London Marathon for the first time on her 40th birthday, three years to the day when she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. This will be a huge milestone for her as 50% of triple-negative cancer patients have a reoccurrence of their cancer within the first three years of their initial diagnosis.  

Pancreatic Cancer UK is the Official Charity of the Year for the 2025 TCS London Marathon.  

The charity funds research, provides support, and campaigns for those affected by pancreatic cancer. More than half of people in the UK who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within just three months, making it the deadliest common cancer. 

Thousands of people will be running in the 2025 TCS London Marathon for Team Pancreatic Cancer UK. Among those taking part to raise money for the charity are Rebecca, Fiona, and Carys.  

Rebecca Cox, 32, from Amersham in Buckinghamshire, will be running in her first TCS London Marathon in memory of her dad, Steven, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in November 2022, just one month and a day after his diagnosis, which he had received upon returning home early from holiday with stomach pains.  

Rebecca decided to apply in the 2025 ballot for the event, despite not being a runner at that point, after learning that Pancreatic Cancer UK would be the 2025 TCS London Marathon Official Charity of the Year.  

Rebecca said: “Thinking about the start line makes me emotional; there will be a lot of tears. A huge challenge will be making sure I’m not dehydrated from crying!   

“The time doesn’t matter. I am here and I get to experience the TCS London Marathon. I can do it. There are so many people affected by pancreatic cancer who can’t. I am doing it for them.”  

Fiona Farmer, 37, from Cullompton in Devon, will be running for the first time after recovering from sepsis, which hospitalised her in February 2024, at which time a cyst was also discovered in her pancreas.   

She was worried about possibly having pancreatic cancer, just a few months after her grandfather had passed away from the very same disease. Thankfully, no cancer was found, but extensive surgery meant the head of her pancreas, her gallbladder, and a part of her stomach had to be removed.  

Fiona took up running after being discharged from hospital last year and decided to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK at this year’s London Marathon.  

Carys Thomas, 30, from Newport in Wales, will run in her first TCS London Marathon for Pancreatic Cancer UK in memory of her dad and her uncle who both passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2023.  

She and her dad, Paul, had a long-standing tradition of sitting together and watching the London Marathon on TV every year, but last year’s broadcast marked her first time alone without her dad on Marathon Day.  

However, when Carys saw the announcement that the charity was going to be the TCS London Marathon’s Official Charity of the Year for 2025, she took it as a sign and immediately applied to join the thousands of others completing 26.2-miles in London.  

Flora will continue her father’s mission to spread awareness of prostate cancer 

Flora Turnbull, 33, from Suffolk  

Flora, daughter of former BBC Breakfast host Bill Turnbull, is running for the charity Prostate Cancer UK in memory of her father, who died of the disease in August 2022.  

After Bill’s diagnosis became public in 2018, there was a huge spike in diagnoses across the UK – referred to by Prostate Cancer UK as the Fry-Turnbull effect, named after both Bill and fellow national treasure Stephen Fry, who was also diagnosed in 2018.  

A year after Bill’s passing, the number of prostate cancer referrals within the NHS reached a record high. His bravery in speaking out about his disease continues to help men across the country understand the condition. 

Speaking on the legacy of her father, Flora said: “After his death, we as a family were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and thanks from people across the nation, and particularly those men who were inspired to learn more about their own prostate cancer risk and speak to their GP.  

“But there is still work to be done. That’s why I signed up to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. I want to ensure that everyone can keep their dads, partners, brothers, sons, grandads, uncles, and friends around as long as possible.”  

Bid to become youngest and fastest man with an intellectual disability to complete a marathon 

Angus Leckonby, 23, from Driffield, Yorkshire 

Angus is aiming to break a Guinness World Record in the 2025 TCS London Marathon this year by becoming the youngest and fastest male with an intellectual disability to complete a marathon. 

He is autistic and lives with verbal dyspraxia and an intellectual disability and is dedicating his efforts to raise £10,000 for Special Olympics Great Britain (GB) - a charity that supports people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities in sport. 

After taking on the TCS London Marathon, Angus will go after another Guinness World Record by becoming the youngest and fastest male with an intellectual disability to complete a two-mile swim during the 2025 Swim Serpentine event in September. 

‘Blind Dave’ running his 17th and final London Marathon – and this time his daughters are joining him 

Dave Heeley, 67, from West Bromwich 

Dave, widely known as ‘Blind Dave’, is globally renowned for completing extraordinary physical challenges to raise money for charity. He will be running in his 17th and final London Marathon this April, but this time he will be joined for the first time by his three daughters: Grace, Georgie-Lee, and Dannie. 

His various feats include becoming the first blind person ever to run seven marathons across seven continents in seven days back in 2008. Three years later, he ran 10 marathons across 10 days from John O'Groats to Land's End.  

Dave had decided to stop running this year, having undergone two knee replacements, but his daughters insisted that he run the TCS London Marathon one last time this year.  All three of them took up running last year and they all will help guide Dave around the course.  

The family will be raising money for the Albion Foundation, West Brom’s charity foundation, as Dave is a huge fan of the club. Dave has raised thousands of pounds for the charity over several years through various running challenges and cycle rides. 

‘I’ve lost five loved ones to brain tumours – I want to help fight the disease’ 

Dawn-Marie Michelin, 49, from Plymouth 

Brain tumours have tragically impacted Dawn-Marie’s life on more occasions than she’d care to count. Her dad, her best friend, her grandfather, her great-grandfather, and her cousin all lost their lives due to brain tumours. So, this April, she will complete her first TCS London Marathon to raise money for the Brain Tumour Charity. 

Dawn-Marie has also endured her share of significant health challenges in her lifetime. She was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a condition which causes inflammation in the spine and joints, as well as psoriatic arthritis aged 22.  

Specialists informed her that she would be wheelchair-bound by 40, but after two spinal operations, Dawn-Marie has defied this prognosis to become an avid runner, as she approaches her 50th birthday this year. 

With 2024 marking ten years since her dad passed away, she started last year by running 10 miles over 100 consecutive days before deciding to apply for a place in the 2025 TCS London Marathon in memory of her best friend, Hazel, who passed away from a brain tumour in 2020.