[A] charity manager from Cumbria is taking on the London Marathon this weekend, inspired by the young people with cancer she works to support.
Louise Miles, of Stainton, near Penrith, is Regional Fundraising Manager for Teenage Cancer Trust and is aiming to raise vital funds for the charity as she tackles the 26.2-mile course around the capital on Sunday.
She will be one of 700 runners making up Team Legend – all running in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust, which is the official charity partner of this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon.
Louise knows first-hand what it is like to have a child with cancer, as her own daughter Katy was diagnosed with kidney cancer when she was just four. She went on to make a full recovery and mum Louise ran her first London Marathon in 2010, to celebrate Katy being five years cancer-free.
Since then Louise harboured ambitions to take on the challenge one more time, entering the ballot every year without success. She said: “Every year when I didn’t get a place, there was definitely a sense of relief mixed in with the disappointment. I couldn’t believe it when I found out I had got a place this year. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as I was only running about two or three miles at a time. But I have been training all winter and now I just really want to do it!
“It is going to be an amazing atmosphere on the day – it always is, but it will be extra special this year with Teenage Cancer Trust as the main charity partner and 700 people all running with the same aim – to raise vital funds to support young people with cancer. I see every day through my work how crucial the support we give to young people is and at the moment, for every young person Teenage Cancer Trust can support, there’s another we can’t reach.
“You want the best possible support for your child when they’re diagnosed with cancer and it breaks my heart to think that some young people aren’t getting the vital support they need.”
Find out more about Teenage Cancer Trust and this year’s London Marathon at https://bealegend.org/ and sponsor Louise at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MilesFamily.
