Ella Henwood:

BUDE’s Ella Henwood ran this year’s London Marathon for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Talan’s Trust.

Ella said the chance to remember her friend Talan Penny was her primary reason for doing it.

She said: “I ran on the Teenage Cancer Trust team in memory of my friend Talan Penny. The Teenage Cancer Trust provide specialist facilities in 28 NHS hospitals across the UK and fund specialist nurses and support workers to give support to young people going through cancer treatments.

“The Teenage Cancer Trust set me a fundraising target, once I had hit that I then put any remaining donations to Talan’s Trust. Talans Trust is a local charity that was set up in memory of the wonderful Talan Penny. Talan passed away from a rare form of cancer in May 2017 and the trust helps fund research into the rare form of cancer Talan had.

“I grew up with Talan and his sister Tegan, and he was the loveliest boy ever! For me, the main motivation for the marathon was to remember Talan and help raise awareness and raise vital funds for childhood cancer.

“In total I raised £2,356 for the Teenage Cancer Trust and £1,190 for Talan’s Trust.”

So, how did Ella find the training and how did she do?

“The furthest distance I had run prior to training was 12 miles. I am absolutely not a runner so it took a while for me to get to grips with running and get my head around the thought of running 26.2 miles.

“I started training just after Christmas and it was hard, especially the 5am wake up calls during a dark and cold January. In March I ran the Bath Half Marathon for Talan’s Trust and that was a real confidence booster, it allowed me to find out the best way to prepare for a race and showed me that my training was paying off.

“But I’d never run a marathon before so had no idea what to expect, so set my main goal as completion! About 13 miles in I injured my knee so the remaining 13 miles was a combination of a walk/hobble/jog. I managed to complete it in four hours and 58 minutes which I am super happy with, although part of me knows I would have been quicker if it wasn’t for my knee, so I would love to give it another go, but not for a few years!”

Ella admitted that the occasion itself was beyond her wildest dreams.

She said: “It was incredible, everyone tells you how amazing the atmosphere is but until you are there running it you won’t understand how overwhelming it really is. It was so emotional seeing all the runners and their different reasons for running and the crowds were something else too! You were never alone during the race, even though you didn’t actually know anyone the constant cheering and encouragement from the crowd and fellow runners was such a good feeling it almost made you forget about the distance!

“Running over Tower Bridge was a highlight for me (second to crossing the finish line), the noise from the crowds as you approach the bridge was phenomenal and made me feel so emotional.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me (the local support has been unreal), sponsored me, given me advice, listened to my moaning and believed in me! The last few months running has taken over my life but it was so worth it for the amount we were able to raise for two really important cancer charities and to remember Tal.”

Shannon O’Neil:

BUDE native Shannon O’Neil ran this year’s London Marathon for Muscular Dystrophy UK and has so far raised over £1,500.

Shannon said: “I was running for Muscular Dystrophy UK, a charity which is very close to my heart and that has offered incredible support to my family. So far, I’ve managed to raise £1,578 but I hope to reach my target of £1,750 in the next few weeks.

Shannon’s job made it difficult for her to clock up the miles in preparation.

She said: “I trained from January onwards, however I definitely did less mileage than most people would. My training mostly consisted of just the one long run at the weekend, of which the distance gradually increased. I tried to fit in runs in the week, but because I work as a personal trainer in a gym and teach classes, it was difficult to manage it all. I also sustained a couple of injuries along the way so had to be careful!

With her lack of training compared to most, Shannon was pleased with how she eventually did.

She said: “It was my first marathon and it went better than I could ever have hoped for. My finish time was 5:11:56, at least 20 minutes faster than I thought I’d get — but I still know I can do better! Until mile 22, I was on track to finish in under five hours, however I really struggled in the last few miles and slowed to a walking pace.

The last five or six miles were one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I pretty much just walked the last four, partly due to being scared I would actually die if I kept running and partly because I wanted to enjoy the rest of the race and soak up the atmosphere without being in pain. Before walking I was on track for a sub five-hour marathon (I was actually ahead of the five-hour pacers for the first 24 miles)! I am still so pleased with my time, but a part of me is wishing I had just kept running. Apart from those last miles, the race was one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done.

“The atmosphere was above and beyond what you see on the telly — it is truly magical and really spurs you on to keep going. A huge thanks to everyone that’s donated so far and also to my amazing family for cheering me on. Looking forward to seeing their faces at various points during the race definitely pushed me to keep going.”