Father and Daughter Take on the London Marathon Together
Russell and Georgie Weston have been spending quality time together in their running shoes, this year, after Russell entered them into the ballot for the London Marathon. At just eighteen years old, this is Georgie’s first time entering the iconic race. The news that she had been successful in her application came as a complete shock to her given that Russell had entered on her behalf without telling her! As one of the youngest runners taking part, Georgie is one of just 250 people in the age 18-20 category.
Russell knows what to expect having previously run the London Marathon but is unsure whether this is a good thing or not.
“I think ignorance might be bliss for me,” says Georgie. “Although at least Dad knows what not to do this time as he ran far to fast in the first half last time as he got swept up in the adrenaline from the atmosphere.”
Russell started running after being diagnosed with colitis. He quickly found how good it was for his mental health as it gave him time to have a clear head space. He has since found a love for running 10K races as well as half marathons and running the marathon again, this time with his daughter, is the icing on the cake.
The father daughter duo chose to raise money for the Hospice as have lived locally for fourteen years and have seen a number of friends supported by the Hospice.
“We know what fantastic work the Hospice does so it meant a lot to us to be able to use our marathon experience to raise such valuable funds for them,” says Russell.
Georgie’s mum was initially worried that taking on the marathon would be too much for her daughter whilst studying for her upcoming A-level exams. “It’s been the complete opposite, though,” says Georgie. “Going out running has been a great way to de-stress in amongst all the revision.”
If you would like to show your support for Russell and Georgie, you can find their JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/russ-weston3?