Chris Pascoe & Graham Pinder run the London Marathon

Fundraising is a vital source of income for small charities like us, and we can only continue our work as a result of the enthusiasm, commitment and generosity of others.

In April, we had the pleasure of watching two incredible fundraisers run the London Marathon in support of Children’s Burns Trust. They completed the race itself in great times and also went above and beyond in their fundraising, both receiving even more than they had hoped to raise. We are beyond grateful to their friends and family for their incredibly generous donations.

Here are their stories of their experiences:

Graham’s Story

Hello everyone, I have a feeling this will be the tale of two totally different marathons from myself and Chris. Chris certainly looked in a better state than me although I did put on a brave face at the end when I asked a lady to take my picture before I changed clothes.

I have been lucky enough to have run the London Marathon before which was 10 years ago, at that time I ran for the stroke association. This time through Charlie’s story I had become aware of the Children’s Burns Trust and as a burn survivor from the 60’s this was the only charity for me. There is no marathon like London for atmosphere, crowd support, organisation, the list is endless.

I have been running for 40 years and at 65 years old I am still very competitive just like Charlie’s Father Andy is in cycling, I am the same in running, and I am sure Michelle will know what I mean. So, I was always going to give it my best shot. I managed to get through my training despite managing a knee problem, which didn’t give me any problem throughout the marathon. I managed to maintain a steady pace throughout marathon and spotted my wife and friends at around mile 6 which was good boost. I had targeted between 3hrs 50 and 4 hrs and was on target for 3:50 but at 24 miles I knew something was wrong. It turns out I had allowed myself to become severely dehydrated. The last two miles were exceptionally hard for me, and I have never given up in any race, but I still ended up at a full stop 10 yards from the finish, my mind was willing me over the finishing line, but my body had shut down, luckily two runners hooked my arms and whisked me to the line with my legs moving like a toddler learning to walk. I ended up finishing in 4:03:22 which was remarkable considering how the last 2 miles went. I ended up being treated for dehydration and eventually released to collect my bag. I finished in a poor state, but I am absolutely thrilled to have finished and raised nearly £1500 for the trust. One of the runners that helped me at the line has since contacted me through social media and we have had a good chat about what happened. It was a fantastic gesture to help another runner so close to the finish and one of those acts you regularly see on TV at the end of a marathon. I do have to say the journey back to the hotel was a long slow one and it was a relief when my wife met me at Blackheath station. The Children’s Burns Trust is my running club charity for this year so we will be hopefully collecting more donations on our race days.

Graham

Chris’ Story

My experience of the race was incredible from start to finish, in my mind I knew I could achieve sub four hours or even around 3hours 45 mins, but to deliver 3hours 39mins was a dream! The crowds were amazing, shouting out my name and calling out words of encouragement. Coming down the hill towards The Cutty Sark was my first “wow” moment, the crowds were about 15 people deep and the cheering so loud. Tower Bridge was another amazing point, running across such a famous landmark. My friends (Team Pascoe) were all camped out at mile 21 as this is considered a brick wall for some runners. They had banners and cheered me through.  Throughout the race I kept a close eye on my pace, knowing I was hitting an 8 minute mile. The last five miles were certainly the most difficult but there was no way I would stop, my pace dropped slightly but this was not a concern. Running along Embankment and towards the Houses of Parliament was incredible, knowing you are going to turn the corner and run the final few yards. There was not last hurrah for me – my legs would not allow it. But crossing the finish line was one of the most exhilarating things I have ever done. My entire London Marathon journey has been epic, I would recommend it to anyone. And knowing what you are doing is going to make a difference makes it even more special.

Support Graham:

Graham’s fundraising page can be found here: https://2023tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/graham-pinder 

Support Chris:

Chris’ fundraising page can be found here: https://2023tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/chris-pascoe