I am running the London marathon for St Wilfrid's in memory of my father, Richard.

Dad was a keen runner and although later in life he had spells as a cyclist and golfer, he was first and foremost a runner. And a fine runner at that. His PBs of 32:48 for 10km and 52:46 for 10 miles still stand firm at the top of the Parker leaderboard. Bear in mind those times were set in the late 70s without carbon shoes which makes them all the more impressive.

Dad was diagnosed with MND in summer 2024 and passed away in early 2025. He spent a short time at St Wilfrid’s, where he was looked after with incredible care and compassion. I’m hugely grateful for everything they did for him, and proud to support them in any way I can.

I got into running young, mainly because Dad dragged us to the Chichester Corporate Challenge, and I’ve never looked back. I've had many injuries along the way which halted progress but there was always one constant, Dad. Come rain or shine, wind or snow, he was there supporting me, camera in hand and telling me to hurry up. Post run he'd give me a detailed analysis and show me the photos he'd taken, usually blurry shots of the runner behind. Technology was never his strength.

I’ve never run a marathon and I’m unsure what the best approach is so have to take inspiration from my coach who always taught me, “Elbows out on the start line Ben, and whatever you do, get up there”. It’s probably unwise to run so hard you obliterate yourself, however, knowing what kind of runner Dad was, he wouldn’t have it any other way.