We did it  - and both ran all the way - race report below!

Tom's allergy to bananas was discovered when he was 3 months old.  Age 17, Tom has now been diagnosed with multiple food allergies and carries an epipen for his peanut allergy.  Despite this, he always tries to lead as normal a life as possible

 

AllergyUK is a cause close to our hearts.  For me as a mum of four boys all affected by allergies, there is the daily challenge of preparing dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free meals, and helping two of them cope with their asthma.  The support we have received from AllergyUK has been invaluable - from information leaflets to allergy translation cards and a wonderful telephone helpline.  Now it's time for me to challenge myself and run 10K (a distance I've never managed before) to give a little back to a fantastic cause.

Alison 

 

Race report

6.20am Caught the train to London (a really big effort needed from Tom to get up so early).  Pleased to see that about 50% of passengers had bag labels with race numbers on!

8.05am Arrived at the baggage bays and made our final preparations then followed people who looked as if they knew what they were doing towards St James's St..  A beautiful sunny morning with a slight chill in the air.

9.30am After lots of waiting amongst a good-natured crowd and trying to warm up with no room, we were glad we hadn't left setting off any later!  Looking back along Piccadilly, the the heat shimmered above the 24,000 other runners behind us.

9.45am At last the horn blared and the elite runners were off - we began to move towards the blue arch that marked the start.

9.50am Tom and I wished each other good luck and Tom disappeared into the distance.

10.35am Tom crossed the finish line: highlight was the atmosphere and the cheering crowds as he completed the last kilometre and approached the finishing arch; lowlight was the blister that developed at about 2km.

10.55am I crossed the finish line: highlight was giving James, Oliver and George a high-five as I ran past at 7km; lowlight was the blazing sun on Westminster Bridge just past 8km.

11.05am Tom located me in the baggage bay with a big grin on his face.  I was smiling too, having greatly enjoyed it and achieved my target of running all the way!

Thanks again to all our sponsors - your support really helped over the last few weeks.

Please, if you meet anyone with allergies in quest of information or help do remember our cause, and refer them to the AllergyUK website - it has helped us on countless occassions.