10 Runners Changing Lives

We have 10 amazing fundraisers running the London Marathon for Links on April 21st. They are doing an incredible job with their training and fundraising and we are so grateful to each of them!

We caught up with a few of them to tell us a bit more about themselves and why they have chosen to fundraise for Links.

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Meet Daniel

‍Is this your first London Marathon?
Yes this is my first London Marathon.

What is your target time?
My target is under 4 hours.

What's your fundraising goal?
£1000 but hopefully more!

Why Links?
Links seems to be a wonderful charity and a real great cause to help people in situations I cannot even begin to comprehend being in myself. The work done by the charity is fantastic and a real help to people less fortunate in this world.

What are you most excited about?
I can't wait to cross the finish line and see my friends and family along the way. Also the atmosphere of the crowd and the feel good factor of the achievement.

You can donate to Daniel here: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/london-marathon-2024-2

Meet Caroline

Is this your first London Marathon?
This will be my second London Marathon.

What is your target time?
I don't really have a target time, just to get round safely. (5 hours)

What's your fundraising goal?
My target is £1,000 which I have achieved.

Why Links?
I chose Links because it is something different and will make a big difference to peoples lives that live in poverty.

What are you most excited about?
I'm most excited about knowing I'm helping people by running one of the most iconic marathons going. Being cheered on by supporters. I'm also running Brighton Marathon two weeks before the London Marathon. This is a personal achievement for me at my age lol.

You can donate to Caroline here: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/carolines-london-marathon-journey-for-links

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Meet Ian

Is this your first London Marathon?
This will be my third London Marathon actually, all 3 of them for Links!

What is your target time?
I'm aiming for a sub 4 hour time again and hopefully shave a few minutes off my personal best of 3 hours 58 minutes. That will all depend on the day of course, the weather can have a huge influence and if I pick up any injuries between now and the event. Feeling positive though.

What's your fundraising goal?
Aiming high for £5,000!

Why Links?
I admire the work they do overseas and am always inspired by Joe Gisbey, their CEO, when he comes to speak at our church!

What are you most excited about?
All of it really! Aside from helping to make a real difference in people's lives, the atmosphere at the marathon and the sense of achievement crossing the finish line can be quite overwhelming. Can't wait!

You can donate to Ian here: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/mr-bees-links-london-marathon-24

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Meet Johan & René

Is this your first London Marathon?
Johan: Yes, this is my first time running the London Marathon but I have already run other marathons. New York, Valencia, Dublin, Tokyo, Rotterdam, Chicago and Berlin.

René: Yes, this is my first time running the London Marathon but I have run many other marathons, a total of more than 25. These include Dublin, Tokto, Rotterdam, Chicago and Berlin.
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What is your target time?
Johan: I would like to qualify for the Boston Marathon, for which I need to run faster than 3 hours and 10 minutes. That will be very difficult for me, but I'm going for it!
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René: I am going to try to run faster than 3 hours 10 minutes. My personal record is now 3 hours 12 minutes, so I need to train hard to be faster in London.

What's your fundraising goal?
We have no maximum limit. We try to raise as much as we can.

Why Links?
Running a marathon remains a challenge where you push the limits of your physical and mental endurance. It is a kind of test of determination, perseverance and resilience. We like to turn this personal challenge into something that can have a positive impact on the lives of others. That is exactly why we decided to raise money for Links by running the London Marathon.

Links is a beautiful organisation that does fantastic work. Their mission is to create lasting change in some of the world's most vulnerable communities. They work hard to improve access to healthcare, education, clean water and economic opportunities for those who need it most. Links does not just provide temporary assistance; they empower communities to build a sustainable future for themselves. We came into contact with Links through Inge Van Bijnen, a running friend who sadly passed away in 2022. A double motivation to run the London Marathon for Links, in memory of Inge.

What are you most excited about?
Johan: London is an impressive city so I am really looking forward to the marathon. The city itself with the crazy crowd is hopefully a motivation to get the most out of myself that day. I need to because I want to achieve a really fast time there. If I am fast enough and can qualify for Boston, I will have run the six major marathons!

René: London is obviously a city of enormous stature, so running through it seems amazing. I know the atmosphere is great, so I'm looking forward to that too. Apart from that, athletically I hope to run a personal record and go faster than ever. This is something I am training hard for, so that too is something I am looking forward to!

‍You can donate to Johan here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/johan-de-rooij
You can donate to Rene here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rene-kleijnendorst

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Daniel, Caroline, Ian, Johan, René, Matt, Jean, Malgorzata, Laura and Gill, we are cheering you on all the way!
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