Two busy mums are pushing themselves through the pain barrier to raise money for two good causes in the London Marathon.
Friends and neighbours Sue Thomas and Liz Jones, from Caego, near Wrexham, are raising money for the British Heart Foundation and the town’s Nightingale House Hospice.
They’ve been trying to get a berth in the London Marathon for five years. Their persistence has finally paid off and they’ll be lining up for the world’s most famous race on April 17.
Mum of three Sue is the Personal Assistant to Mario Kreft, the proprietor of the care organisation, Pendine Park, and mum of two Liz is a full-time midwife.
They’ve both been inspired by personal experience of heart disease in their families and the good work done by the hospice.
Sue said: “My father in law suffers from heart disease and my sister works for the hospice.
“The hospice is a really important local charity that deserves our support for the vitally important work that they do. We know lots of people who have been struck down by this dreadful disease.
“We have done a lot of fund-raising here at Pendine Park for the British Heart Foundation so it’s good to add to that total.
“I am not a sporty person at all so this is all completely new. You get a booklet from the London Marathon and you have to follow a weekly training regime –we started in October.
“Every week you have to do four days of training with a long run on the Saturday or Sunday – we’re now up to 16 miles and it’s 18 miles the next time.
“The maximum we’ll do before the marathon is 22 miles in a few weeks’ time and then you taper the training down until the event itself on April 17.
“The training is killing me – it’s horribly gruelling. Every single muscle in my body is hurting.
“You don’t realise what’s involved – but you can’t give up. We are absolutely determined to do this. I will do it.
An equally determined Liz added: “My dad had a heart attack six months ago. He’s well now but it gave us a terrible fright. He was treated well at the time and this is my personal reason for giving something back.
“It’s an inspiration to us to get through the pain. There is a family history of heart disease – my grandfather died of a heart attack when he was 52. It’s something we are quite conscious of as a family.
“We have stuck to our training regime – going when we don’t want to go, when you’ve finished work and you’re tired and the children are moaning.
“You don’t want to contemplate the thought of not getting round – we are determined to achieve it and finish the marathon.
“It is very time consuming but hopefully it will be worth it in the end.”
