Good luck to all our wonderful #TeamCHECT London Marathon runners who will be pounding the streets of London on 2 October 2022!
If you plan to go to the London Marathon on Sunday 2 Oct, why not join our cheer team or drop by to say hello? We will have a cheer point at mile 20.5, where Ming Street becomes West India Dock Road (nearest station Westferry DLR). For the finish line we will be at St James’s Café, St James’s Park to welcome our runners home and meet up with their families. All are welcome to join us at either point! We would love to say hello, have a chat and perhaps take a group photograph. Let us know – and we will look out for you!
Meet our amazing marathon runners here:
Alejandra Gori Castiglioni
CHECT is a brilliant charity that does great work including helping families and individuals affected by retinoblastoma. I’m hoping to raise some money to ensure they can keep on helping the families and children who benefit so much from their support. I’m also hoping to raise awareness along the way to ensure those affected can identify it quickly and get early help they need.
Amy Melody
CHECT is a charity which is small but incredibly mighty and has a lasting impact on those affected by Rb directly as well as their families. I used to work for a charity that gave families who were travelling to the Royal London Hospital a place to stay while their children underwent check-ups and procedures. One year, I felt very privileged to meet a family whose son was learning how to care for his temporary eye as he waited for his prosthetic one. On this day, for the first time, he’d managed to clean his eye and put it in all by himself – he was only six years old. I found his bravery so inspiring and it has stuck with me all these years later. I think that running the London Marathon is an excellent opportunity to showcase CHECT – get more people hearing about Rb and raise more money to fund research and support children and their families. I am looking forward to proudly wearing my CHECT t-shirt and telling everyone as the miles go down about CHECT and how important it is.
Chris Nash
It feels like I have been building up for this event for the past few years having originally been down to run the London Marathon in 2020 instead having to undertake the virtual one. I am really looking forward to finally being able to run on the streets of London and experience the atmosphere that everyone talks about, it will be great seeing the CHECT crew cheering us on along the way. Training has been tough but when I get down or lose motivation I remember I am training not for myself but to represent and raise money for CHECT, the amazing charity that have done so much for my family and our daughter Olivia especially. Now more than ever charities like CHECT need our support and it is this that’s giving me the motivation to get out there and give it my best shot. We need to keep going, stay motivated, setting goals will help us get through this, CHECT continue to support families so let’s continue to support them.
Hayley Dobson
I’m running the 2022 London Marathon for CHECT as I want to raise awareness of Rb and help to raise vital funds. This race is for all the brave children, teenagers, adults and families affected, I hope I’m brave enough to complete this challenge of a lifetime!
Jama Ahmed
I will be taking part in the London Marathon on the 2nd October 2022 for Harper-Rose to raise as much awareness and money for CHECT as I can.
Harper has shown us just how strong she is, even after her first round of chemotherapy, which lasted two hours, she arrived back smiling and clapping her hands. Harper has continued with this strength throughout all of her appointments over the last 5 months.
We are very grateful for CHECT, which offers support to Harper and every family in the UK following a diagnosis of retinoblastoma, and provides lifelong support to anyone affected – from diagnosis, through teenage years and into adulthood.
Jamie Butler
Hi, I’m Jamie and I’m running for CHECT as a small way to repay the invaluable help and support provided to support my family when my niece Olivia was diagnosed with retinoblastoma.
Having ran the London Marathon virtually in 2020, I knew that CHECT would also be a supportive partner to help me prepare for the big day.
Needless to say, I’m roaring to run London Marathon 2022 in person!
Lauren Riddleston
I am running the London Marathon for CHECT to help raise vital funds and awareness of retinoblastoma. To help all the children and families who are on this unpredictable journey. I am in no way athletic, before training I was literally unable to run up the stairs, but I have pushed myself and I will not give up, because our children don’t get the chance to stop or have a break, so I don’t either. I also want to make my son proud of me as I am immensely proud of him and all he’s been through and still going through, I’m going to bring that medal home for him 💙 Let’s do this!! TeamCHECT 💙 love to you all, Lauren xx
Mark Maltman
Tala is our daughter, born on 7 February 2022. At about 4 weeks of age, my partner Lindley noticed an unusual appearance to her right eye: a visit to the GP and in a whirlwind on to Great Ormond Street Hospital and then Royal London Hospital led to a diagnosis of retinoblastoma, in not just one but both eyes. Tala is currently on a course of 6 cycles of chemotherapy at GOSH and the prognosis for saving the sight in the least affected eye is excellent. We have met a lot of truly remarkable people, from the Doctors and Nurses on the retinoblastoma team at the Royal London, the staff at GOSH and the fabulous people at the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT). Other than be her Dad, there is nothing I can do for Tala whilst these amazing people do their work, but this London Marathon will be my fourth and most special one, giving me the opportunity to do what little I can to give back (and hopefully keep myself sane in the process!).
Sabina Brimson
I’m running this year’s London Marathon for CHECT, after losing one of my oldest childhood friends to cancer earlier in the year, at only 34 years old. Olivia was diagnosed with retinoblastoma as a baby, and received life-saving surgery. However, as an adult, Olivia developed a second cancer and after a period of treatment, she sadly died. I realise now how important CHECT is, for two reasons: firstly, to support families going through the most difficult of times. I spent a lot of time with Liv and her parents in the last few years, and understand how invaluable both practical and emotional support can be during these periods – belonging to a community of others who are on similar journeys. Secondly, the critical importance of research in diagnosis and treatment advances – if these had been better 34 years ago, Liv might still be with us.So I run in her memory, and with her extraordinary spirit in my heart – and hopefully my legs! – to help CHECT be there for others.
Phil Scurrah
Hi, my name’s Phil Scurrah and I’m 53 and from Cambridge. I’ve been supporting and fundraising for CHECT for a few years now and I usually take part in the RunThrough Regents Park 10K in July each year but had to miss this year as I was away on holiday. The London Marathon 2022 will be my first ever marathon and I’m so grateful to CHECT for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to run this epic event and to fundraise for them again. Wishing the CHECT team and my fellow marathon runners an amazing day and for us to raise as much money as we can for this wonderful charity.
Phil West
I am delighted to be supporting CHECT at this year’s London Marathon. I first heard about the amazing work that CHECT do through my friend from my running club. The support that CHECT offers to children and their families is incredible and any sponsorship monies raised will help CHECT to continue to offer this level of support.
Interestsed in running a marathon? Check out our fundraising pages.