On 17th December 2017 a wonderful young man named Charley Johnson sadly passed away after a brave battle with a short illness. He was only 14 years old. He was a pupil at the school I work in, and I had the pleasure of being his Head Of Year. The entire JMA community was devastated by the news of his passing, but I have been so massively impressed and touched by the student body wanting to do positive things in his memory.

Charley was a hugely active boy, and he absolutely loved running. We had lots of chats about running, and I remember a conversation we had probably only 6 weeks ago when he told me he “couldn’t wait to be old enough to enter the Reading Half Marathon and beat you, sir”. I wanted to do something to honour his memory, and to raise money for the hospital that treated him and his family so well in his final days. I’ve decided that I’m going to run 4 marathons in 4 weeks, starting on New Years Eve, and ending on 20th January.

Marathon 1: Sunday 31st December - Flitch Way Marathon, Essex.

Marathon 2: Sunday 7th January - “Another Medal On The Wall” marathon challenge, Hillingdon

Marathon 3: Sunday 14th January - Gloucester Marathon

Marathon 4: Saturday 20th January - Ranscombe Winter Challenge (Marathon), Kent

Charley and I will never get to have our Reading Half Marathon Face Off (although I’m pretty certain he’d have beaten me!) but he’ll be with me every step of these 4 marathons, no doubt telling me to “run faster” with that cheeky grin he was so well known for!

If you would like to make a donation to this cause I would be hugely grateful. All money raised will go to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. 

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

These runs are for you Charley!

Steve Duffy

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.