A huge well done to four members of our school community who completed the London Marathon last Sunday. Three members of staff: Mrs Upton (Teacher of Mathematics), Miss Donkin (Head of Chemistry) and Mr Marriott (Head of PE) are all keen runners and have previously completed marathons.
Upper Sixth student Oscar completed his very first marathon with his father and raised an incredible £2,898 for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) through his JustGiving page linked here (still live). Well done!
We caught up with the runners this week to hear their inspirational stories:
Oscar said, “My inspiration was my dad. I have been in the London Marathon crowds, watching him complete the race, over the years and have always thought how cool it would be if I could do it one day.
“In September (2024) my dad and I ran the Big London Half Marathon together and this was my first real introduction to long distance running. I really enjoyed it and was proud of myself for my timing, however I felt I had more in me and would have been able to push myself even further.
“My dad had luckily got a place in the 2025 London Marathon through the ballot and after completing the half I knew I wanted to set myself the challenge of completing it alongside him. We always spoke about doing it this year as he turned 50 and I turned 18 but I never actually believed it would happen. Luckily, I was given a charity place through the waiting list for GOSH and I’ve currently raised £2,898, which I’m over the moon with.
“The run itself was very challenging, I felt pains in my knee early in the race which had already been an issue in training, and I struggled to remain hydrated on such a warm day. The crowd really encouraged me, with people shouting and clapping at every mile and my friends coming to watch at mile 3, 13, 18 and 24 (Max V, Jack V and Maddy H + former Trinity students).
“Overall, after crossing the finish line, I was so proud of myself for being able to run such a distance at such a young age and managing to beat my dad and get over the line! I was overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude knowing I had completed it, and my friends and families were able to see me do it…I was also in dire need of a sit down and a celebration!”
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Mrs Upton said, “I ran my fourth marathon on Sunday, which was my second time doing London. I had trained hard and was hopeful of a good time, but the weather had different ideas. It was very hot and as I usually do (and should have learnt by now!) started too fast. However, the crowd was amazing – I had support from my family and my running club – but the strangers calling my name and their encouragement was beyond belief and carried me through. In the end, I finished with a time of 4 hours 18 minutes, but was happy that I had completed it, given the difficulty of the conditions. With Edinburgh marathon in four weeks, it’s now recovery time.”
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Miss Donkin, who runs Senior X-country running clubs and games sessions, said, “Despite this being my third London Marathon I failed to learn from previous mistakes and set off very fast – paying for it later on! The warm weather meant the crowds were amazing (including the loudest cheering ever from Mr Flanagan!) but the conditions were hard to manage with very little shade and hot tarmac – I poured many bottles of water over my head and shoved the cups of ice down my sports bra. Very happy with a new personal best of 3 hours 27 minutes.”
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If you’re feeling inspired by these runners, the ballot for next year’s London Marathon closes tonight (Friday 2 May) linked HERE.
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