Marathon runners from the Whittington Hospital (left to right): Dr Karim Keshwani, Eleanor Taylor, Siobhan Kennedy and Dave Moore.

London Marathon runners sweat it out for charity

by Tim Lamden Tuesday, April 24, 2012
11:07 AM

Fundraisers from across the country put months of sweat and toil to the test yesterday and joined 37,500 fellow runners in the 32nd London Marathon.

Former Journal reporter Daisy Jestico in training for the Marathon. Photo: Tony Gay.

A group of seven doctors, nurses and other members of staff from the Whittington Hospital, in Magdala Avenue, Archway, took part in the 26-mile test of endurance, raising over £10,500 for the hospital’s charitable fund.

Stephen Heath, 58, from Edmonton, tackled the marathon on his own for the second time in aid of special needs primary school The Brook on Broadwaters, in Adams Road, Tottenham.

Mr Heath, who works as a nursery nurse at the school, aimed to raise £5000 to pay for special needs outdoor equipment for all 98 pupils, including bikes, swings and a wheelchair accessible roundabout.

Disappointingly, Mr Heath fell considerably short of his £5000 target, raising close to £1400 so far.

He said: “Realisitically I think we are going to get about £2000. A lot of people said they would give me more money if could do it in under five hours.”

The father-of-two narrowly completed the marathon within his target time, crossing the finish line in just under 4h 59m.

He added: “I did it against the clock but I wouldn’t do that again - it was too much for me.

“I wanted to get under five hours but it was a bit of an ordeal - I was fine after 21 miles but then I started cramping up.”

Another group among the crowds on Sunday were 15 runners from Synergy Running Club, in Tottenham Lane, Crouch End.

The club produced some impressive times, with member Adam Lawrence, 37, running a personal best 3h 1m and head coach Sarra Dally, 31, completing the race in 3h 35m.

Cllr Matt Davies completed his fourth London Marathon this year, raising over £2500 for homeless charity Shelter, and former Journal reporter Daisy Jestico raised over £1300 for Henderson Court older people’s centre in Hampstead.

If you wish to help Mr Heath reach his target of £5000 for The Brook on Broadwaters school, visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/StephenJamesHeath-1.

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