Marathon success for runners who went the distance for St Catherine’s

Thousands of runners braved the wet and the cold to take part in Preston’s first Guild Marathon.
A total of 4,650 runners took part in the marathon and half marathon, with 50 of the competitors running on behalf of St Catherine’s Hospice.

Kevin James, one of St Catherine’s Trustees, took part in the half marathon.
He said: “I ran on behalf of St Catherine’s because it’s such a fantastic charity and I enjoy supporting them.
“I felt quite confident before I started and I think that’s down to the fact that I’ve been training hard for around three months now.”
Arif Patel, Safwan Patel and Adnan Iqbal, a group of three friends from Preston, also went the distance in thehalf marathon.

Adnan said: “I’m supporting St Catherine’s because they cared for my cousin who suffers from Batten disease.
“I’ve been running for fitness for two years now and this time I wanted to do it for charity.”
Arif added: “It’s the first half marathon we’ve ever done but hopefully in the future we might complete a full marathon.
Martyn Coyne from Walton-le-Dale completed his first ever full marathon in his own record time of 3 hours 17mins and 1 sec, which put him in the top 100 finishers. He also enjoyed complimentary massages before and after the race in the St Catherine’s tent courtesy of Your Physiotherapy.
He said: “I was running in memory of my Grandad who sadly passed away in February 2012. He was diagnosed with emphysema and received care from St Catherine’s Hospice.

“He always used to praise how brilliant the hospice was.
“I really can’t thank St Catherine’s enough for all the support and encouragement they gave me, and the pre and post-race massages were very welcome and much needed.”

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