WESTBURY woman, Emma Duggins, is running in the London Marathon next month to raise money for the cancer support charity Macmillan, in memory of a close friend of hers who died aged 35 from the disease.
Emma wants to raise £2,500 for Macmillan as a way to give back to the charity that support so many people living with cancer.
“I chose to run for Macmillan as I have lost several friends due to cancer; more recently I lost one of my oldest friends just before Christmas at just 35 years old. Several family members including my father-in-law have been through their own cancer battles, although thankfully they have since been given the all clear,” she said.
“I have heard so many times what an incredible support Macmillan is to those who are going through the hardest times of their lives – they are there for them and their loved ones when they need it the most. It’s a position no one expects to find themselves in, but unfortunately far too many do, and I’m so grateful that when that happens, Macmillan are there.
“Times are very difficult for everyone all right now but that also makes it a time that charities need our support the most. My target for Macmillan is £2,500 which is a bit daunting!”
Emma has raised £1,052 at the time of print. She says that she has been supported by her husband, Sam, who is an experienced runner.
She said, “Training has been up and down although I am pleased with my progress so far. I started running around ten years ago, and before that was not a natural runner at all; I genuinely could not run for a bus! I now do enjoy running regularly although definitely not at the distances my long runs are now! I’m also hoping to do a good time which does not come naturally for me, so has involved doing types of training I was unfamiliar with before. Training for a marathon is a very big commitment so I am looking forward to just running for fun again once it’s over!
“My husband has been very supportive of my goal, and I wouldn’t be able to do this without him! He has run since he was young and very patiently trained me from being an absolute beginner when my biggest aim was to run the distance between two lampposts without stopping! He texts me regularly during my long runs with motivational messages and meets me halfway to give me squash so I don’t have to carry everything with me. It’s definitely something that takes over your entire life for a few months, so I am really lucky that Sam helps me to achieve my goals.”
If you would like to support Emma in her goal to raise money for Macmillan, please visit: https://bit.ly/3mAtZme or search Emma Duggins on the 2023 TCS London Marathon website.
