Why I run: David Thornhill on why he is running his second London Marathon
David Thornhill is preparing to run his second London Marathon later this year. Picture: David Thornhill - Credit: Archant
Every-year thousands of people don their running shoes and take part in the London Marathon here, one of them explains why.
David Thornhill after completing his first London Marathon in 2017. Picture: David Thornhill - Credit: Archant
Over the years, come rain or shine I have spent many hours pounding the streets, getting up at silly o'clock as I train for the many races I have entered.
I have lost count of how many 10K races I have done, I have run 13 half marathons, one full marathon as well as five mile races, triathlons, Tough Mudders and Spartan races.
In April I will be participating in my second London Marathon, it is probably the most popular marathon in the world and with all the dedication and commitment I have put in over the last few months and will continue to do until April, I'm confident, come the big day, I will be ready to run the 26.2 miles.
But why exactly am I running it again? It was something I always wanted to do, after watching it so many times on TV and seeing dozens of people with countless stories of illness or disability, they are the ones inspired me to enter the famous race.
David Thornhill after completing his first London Marathon in 2017. Picture: David Thornhill - Credit: Archant
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So in 2017, I entered the public ballot for a space in the marathon but there are only 40,000 spaces and at the time I didn't realise 252,000 other people had also applied.
Shortly afterwards I was contacted by Children with Cancer UK which offered me a charity space. The organisation is a charity close to my heart as my friend's daughter -Freya Keenan- was diagnosed with kidney cancer age seven.
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After which, 14 months of treatment followed consisting of three months of chemotherapy, three weeks of a radiotherapy and then twelve intensive chemotherapy treatments. It was only then a scan showed no sign of the tumour.
So I decided to take the charity place and try to raise as much money as possible to help more children like Freya survive this disease.
Training for my first marathon, I found it tough going, but what got me through those tough times was the thought of Freya and the many other children suffering from cancer. They were having tougher times than me, so I couldn't complain.
This year, I will again be running the London Marathon for the same charity.
So, in the coming weeks, I shall be getting up very early pounding the streets of Norwich and making sure I'll be ready to enjoy the race like I did in 2017 where the occasion, atmosphere and feeling of completing it was so satisfying.
And, that feeling is even better when I know I've done it for the many children who will be suffering a lot more than me that day.
To donate to David's fundraising page click here.
