A marathon challenge for Kelly and Lizzie

Kelly (left) and Lizzie (right) holding their medals on the finish line of the 2023 London Marathon

3 mins read time

The London Marathon is one of the most iconic running races around. Thousands and thousands of people enter the ballot each year to secure their place but many are unsuccessful. Children on the Edge is not one of the charities that is allocated places in the marathon, so the only way supporters can run for us is by being lucky enough to get their own place in the ballot and, in 2023, we were fortunate enough to have two fantastic runners who took part in the event and ran for Children on the Edge - Kelly and Lizzie. 

Kelly works for one of our corporate partners Planet K2 so she knew about Children on the Edge through her connection at work. The London Marathon was the first time that she had attempted a marathon and she smashed it, completing the race in 5 hours and 5 minutes and raising an incredible £4,500! 

Kelly holding up her London Marathon medal

It was also Lizzie’s first marathon, she fitted in training alongside her studies and placement for her Masters degree in children’s nursing. The marathon was a huge commitment, but Lizzie was determined to stick to her training plan. She completed the London Marathon in 4 hours and 48 minutes, raising an amazing £1,200!

Lizzie training for the London Marathon

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We spoke to them both to find out about their London Marathon experiences …

The London Marathon is a huge challenge, what inspired you to take on the challenge? 

Kelly: I haven’t challenged myself in a very long time and I had my daughter nearly 2 years ago so there was a part of me that really wanted to do something just for me. Having a young child that will never experience such hardships it really gets to my heart that there are so many children living in these situations, so to be able to run the most iconic Marathon and in doing that raise money for children that need it the most was a pretty easy decision.

Lizzie: I’ve always wanted to run a marathon, having done several halves this was the next step!

How did you first hear about Children on the Edge?
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Kelly:  I first heard about Children on the Edge when I started working for PlanetK2. I was inspired to fundraise for Children on the Edge at the London Marathon to help continue our [PlanetK2’s] support and because I have a young child and these children need our help the most.

Lizzie: I didn’t know about Children on the Edge before I got my place in the marathon, I saw the charity listed on the London Marathon website and did some more research into your work and decided to choose to run for Children on the Edge. ​

How did you prepare for the marathon, were there any challenging moments?
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Kelly:  My training started from scratch as I hadn’t done any exercise since before I fell pregnant in 2020. I started off by going for little runs and slowly built up from 5k, 7k to 10k. I then signed up for a half marathon in which my best friend joined me and so we started training for that together. After the half I started to do longer runs. The longer the runs get you out for such a long time. So that's time away from my daughter as I could only do that sort of distance at weekends and it really took over everything I did and how I planned my weekends. I’ve run more than 250 miles since starting my training! Also the physical toll it has taken on my body. My knees are in need of a very good rest.

Lizzie: I had a comprehensive running training plan, training for the marathon took continuous discipline and it was definitely tough getting out at the beginning of the year for early morning runs in the snow! 

What was the best part of the London Marathon? 

Kelly: The day was just incredible with all the supporters that come out to cheer you on. It was amazing. A friend of mine had done it years ago and told me the training is so much harder than the day and it is so true. Crossing that finish line was the best thing!

Lizzie: The whole marathon day itself, the discipline it took to get there, the crowds on the day and the fact I was running for such a great cause!​

Kelly holding up her medal at the finish of the London Marathon

What would you say to anyone who was thinking about taking on an epic challenge for Children on the Edge? 
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Kelly: 100% do it! Not only are you doing an amazing thing for children who really need it but you will get so much out of doing something for yourself. I really feel like I have learnt so much about myself through this challenge.

Lizzie: DO IT!! Children on the Edge is such a great cause and a really supportive, personable charity to team up with!!

If you are thinking about challenging yourself to support Children on the Edge, get in touch our fundraising team would love to hear from you. 

Lizzie with a well deserved drink after completing the Marathon