06.02.2014 – London Marathon runners for the Heaton-Ellis Trust

On April 13th 2014 two runners will be taking part in the London Marathon in aid of The Heaton-Ellis Trust. Gary Burrows and Kevin McLoughlin, both from Opus Energy, have each pledged to raise at least £500 to help in the fight against motor neurone disease.

Before tackling the 26 mile challenge, both participants shared with us their training plans and thoughts leading up to the event.

Gary commented: “I`m really excited to be doing the London Marathon as I’ve tried to enter it for the past five years via the ballot system without success. It is an honour to be running on behalf of such a worthwhile charity, and I hope my fundraising efforts help in some small way towards finding a cure for this horrible disease.”

He added: “I`m currently doing three shorter runs during the week of around three miles each and will probably continue at this level during the week all the way through my training. I do a longer run at the weekends, currently a nine mile run, and my aim is to increase this by one or two miles per week up to a maximum run of around 18 or 20 miles towards the end of March.”

Kevin said: “I’ve not run regularly for a year due to having a demanding 18 month old. Therefore, I’ve eased myself into the training regime slowly building up to seven miles at the weekend with three, three or four mile sessions midweek. Nothing is creaking yet, but I’m being careful as the distances increase with three rest days each week. Personal bests are currently playing second fiddle to completing each session in the freezing, dark January mornings before work. Whilst the marathon is a daunting challenge, I’m feeling more confident about enjoying the experience as my own training distances increase.”

If you would like to sponsor either of the runners they would be glad of your support, and every penny will be donated to The Heaton-Ellis Trust. Please visit their fundraising pages here: Gary’s page and Kevin’s page.