[A] local man whose wife has bowed out of this year’s London Marathon due to injury, has decided to run the equivalent distance on her behalf.
38-year-old Craig Smith from Bowness-on-Windermere, is unable to officially take his wife’s place in the event itself, but this isn’t stopping him running a 26-mile distance around Hyde Park on 23 April – the day of the London Marathon. The generous gesture in support of wife Chloe, is being undertaken to raise as much money as possible for St John’s Hospice in Lancaster, a cause close to both their hearts.
In 2004, Chloe’s first husband, Richard Scowcroft, passed away at St John’s, following a battle with a very rare form of Osteosarcoma; and almost one year ago to the day of the London Marathon, Craig himself was diagnosed with secondary throat cancer. St John’s has been extremely supportive of them both during very dark days, as Craig explains: “St John’s Hospice has supported both Chloe and myself during extremely difficult times in our lives and Chloe wanted to acknowledge their efforts by running the London Marathon and raising funds for this vital service. Unfortunately, due to a foot injury, Chloe was forced to withdraw, so I am going to run it for her! As I was unable to officially swap places with her, I decided to run my own marathon, on the same day, but in Hyde Park! Chloe is obviously disappointed, but this way, we are still able to raise money for a very worthy cause.”
With almost £10,000 already raised on her charity page, Chloe’s target of achieving £12,000 is almost realised, a sum which will go a long way in helping St John’s continue to help patients across Lancashire and the South Lakes.
“We are thrilled that Craig and Chloe are ‘joining forces’ to raise money for St John’s and really hope that Craig is able to complete his own very personal marathon in Hyde Park!” said, St John’s’ Head of Fundraising, Catherine Butterworth. “They have had a long association with the hospice and we are grateful for their continuing support. Thanks to the assistance from donors like Craig and Chloe, the hospice can continue its valuable work in providing palliative care for those suffering from life-limiting conditions.”
