Paul Thorley who lives in Gurnard has raised £5,000 for the Wessex Cancer Trust by taking to the streets of London to run this year’s London Marathon.
The marathon which covers 26 miles starts at Blackheath and finishes in front of Buckingham Palace, with over 40,000 runners taking part in this 42nd London Marathon.
Paul had planned to run in the 2021 marathon but had to pull out due to contracting COVID-19 in the run-up to the event, making this year’s event even more important to both him and Wessex Cancer Trust.
Paul comments:
“I’m simply overwhelmed at the generosity of so many people that have sponsored me to run the London Marathon. It was genuinely my pleasure and honour to run this for Wessex Cancer trust, it was a lifetime ambition come true and the day itself was one of the single most memorable and positive experiences I’ve ever had.
“The messages of support from those who donated throughout the build-up and the day itself really helped me finish, almost like they were there with me on the day cheering me on. The people of London, the crowd, were electric, loud and simply amazing and made the day even more incredible. To be able to raise this amount of money for the charity is simply incredible.”
For the marathon Paul started back in January with a ‘Couch to 5k’ and built up from there, increasing his training schedule up to 22 miles as the event drew near. Training that included a structured heart rate programme, which helps runners to perform within a safe heart rate for their age.
This is not the first time Paul has raised money to support Wessex Cancer Trust. His past exploits include a skydive, creating ‘yummy boxes’ and hosting a black-tie dinner in Ventnor, using his talent as a popular private chef. Activities that added to the fundraising from the London Marathon and bring his fundraising total to almost £20,000.
Laura Haytack, Isle of Wight fundraising manager for Wessex Cancer Trust, has said:
“We are incredibly appreciative of Paul’s ongoing commitment to Wessex Cancer Trust. The £5,000 raised from Paul taking part in the 2022 London Marathon could pay for a typical course of counselling sessions for approximately 15 clients at the Centre. We understand that cancer can have long-lasting psychological repercussions, and we are here for our clients as long as they need us.”
