Ahead of the London Marathon on Sunday, here are some of the local faces you need to look out for on the day.
Candy Hazelden, 40, Bermondsey
She is raising money for Charities Mind UK and Parkinson’s UK – for her nan who has Parkinson’s disease.
Candy said: “She is my world so for her I will run the marathon and knowing that I’m doing it for her I know that if my legs get tired I will run with my heart.”
Click here to donate.
Kevin Downey, 65, Bermondsey
He is raising money for Millwall superfan, Harvey Brown (pictured) and the MPS Society – which helps people with rare syndromes. Now, 15, Harvey suffers from the ultra-rare Morquio syndrome, which affects skeletal growth.
Having run the race 34 times before, Kevin insists this is his last. “My son Ross is running it with me,” he said.
“It’ll be an emotional day – especially when we cross the finishing line together.”
Click here to donate.
Ben Scanlan, 39, Rotherhithe
He is raising money for the Twins Trust – a charity that has provided them with a community.Ben said: “My wife had twins just before lockdown and we got a lot of emotional support from other parents of multiples.
“They also do amazing work supporting parents who lose kids or have early births.”
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Alexander Langle, 35, Rotherhithe
He is raising money for Get Kids Going! – a charity that inspires disabled youngsters to compete in sporting events.
Alexander said: “I now run a Marathon per year. I believe that running will give me extra time in future to have a healthy life to enjoy with my family, the ones that matter to me.”
Jen Winterhalder, 43, East Dulwich
Patrick (Paddy) Hawes, 27, Herne Hill
He is raising money for St. Christopher’s Hospice – in memory of his mum and dad, following the recent loss of his dad last year to cancer.
Katie Thompson, 44, Peckham
She is raising money for Myeloma UK – in memory of her mum who she lost in 2017 to the rare blood cancer.
“It’s my third marathon after running Paris and Berlin last year, and it means a massive deal as it’s my hometown race!”
Click here to donate.
Sophie Parry, 28, Peckham
She is raising money for Place2Be – a children’s mental health charity based at the primary school where Sophie works.
Sophie said: “I have seen the fantastic work that they do to tackle the ever-growing mental health crisis and I am excited to raise money for such a worthy cause.”
Anna Townsend, 42, East Dulwich
She is raising money for Goose Green Primary School – where she went as a child and now teaches there.
With a whole school behind her, Anna said she’s motivated by her students – “They’ll be tracking me during the race on the Marathon app and lots have said they’re going to come and meet me at various checkpoints too.”
“The kids are relying on me.”
Click here to donate to her cause.
Tayler Heppell, 19, Bermondsey
She is raising money for Mencap – which helps people like her sister Haylie to become independent.
Tayler told us: “Haylie was born with a very rare condition called Trisomy18Q – which means she experiences speech and language delays, Hypotonia and learning difficulties.”
On how her younger sister feels about her racing, Tayler added: “She’s excited about me running – and will be there to cheer me on!”
Click here to donate to Tayler’s cause.
