London Marathon 2021
This year’s London Marathon is taking place on Sunday 3 October.
We are excited to announce that we have three amazing runners who will be taking part and fundraising on behalf of Certitude this year – our very own Rhona Leishman and two of our incredible supporters, Nick Brewer and Eric Morgan.
We sat down to meet our runners to find out a bit more about them and what motivated them to take part in this year’s London Marathon.
Have you met our marathon runners?
Rhona Leishman
First, please introduce yourself and what you do.
I’m Rhona and I am the Practice Projects Coordinator at Certitude.
Why did you decide to run the London Marathon?
I had set myself a few running challenges before turning 30 a few years ago to run a 10k and a half marathon for two charities close to my heart and then when I saw there were spaces for the London Marathon running for Certitude, I thought… why not!
Why did you choose Certitude as your charity of choice?
Having worked for Certitude over the last 18 months I have seen first-hand the support provided to people I know how important and valuable the work we do is to people. Also, through the Connect & Do programme which I have been a part of I have met and built relationships with people we support and others who join the sessions and want to ensure we can continue to offer activities and support.
What does running this marathon mean to you?
For me running is something I do for my mental health and to help cope with a loss I suffered a few years ago and so running the marathon was a challenge I wanted to complete for me, to prove to myself I could but also it will let me raise money for a great cause to help others.
How has your training been going? Any tips for other runners?
Some days are a lot easier than others in terms of the actual run but also in terms of finding the time and motivation! I would say get a good plan and stick to it best you can but don’t worry about missing the occasional run or having a bad run – one bad or missed run will not impact the marathon day, you need to think about your training as a whole and realise that all the work you are putting in over the weeks or training are what will get you round the course. Also, for me, stick on your running kit in the morning and then as soon as you have some time or motivation you are ready to get out the door and run!
What’s been the hardest moment in your training and how did you overcome it?
When there was torrential rain every single time I went for a run for about three weeks in a row. Genuinely felt like I was running through rivers! I like running in the rain but this was something else. I suppose at least if it rains on marathon day I will be prepped and know how to run with puddles in my trainers.
Nick Brewer
First, please introduce yourself and what you do.
My name is Nick Brewer and I’m a Graduate Electrical Engineer at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. I am originally from North Hertfordshire and I am currently living in Oxford.
Why did you decide to run the London Marathon?
I decided to run the London Marathon because I’ve always said if I was every going to do a marathon again it would have to be the London one
Why did you choose Certitude as your charity of choice?
One of my friends recommended Certitude to me when I was choosing a charity to support for the marathon and once researching into them more I was sold. I find the work that Certitude absolutely invaluable to so many people and it is an honour to be able to raise money for such a worthy cause.
What does running this marathon mean to you?
It means a lot as a very significant milestone in my life, it will feel so good to be surrounded by many other runners in such a huge event after such a long time with no mass participation events possible for the past year and a half.
How has your training been going? Any tips for other runners?
Training has been going relatively well and trying to fit in running when I can. I did the London Landmarks half marathon a few weeks ago and was quite pleased with that time! I would recommend plenty of carbs the night before a big run and pacing yourself using the Strava pace tracker.
What’s been the hardest moment in your training and how did you overcome it?
Hardest moment so far was injuring my ankle from a very long cycle and trying to be sensible and not make it worse – only just about recovered a week before the half marathon!
What time are you aiming to complete the marathon in?
Aiming for 3 hours and 45 minutes
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us or share with us?
I completed the UK Three Peaks Challenge by public transport (13 trains, five buses plus some actual walking)
Eric Morgan
First, please introduce yourself and what you do.
My name is Eric Morgan, I am the most electrifying running entertainer in the world but an electrician by trade!
Why did you decide to run the London Marathon?
I have always wanted to run the London Marathon since I got into running almost five years ago, on behalf of my mother T. St Louis who died at the age of 43, so I’ve been trying for the last five years to get in, but it was extremely difficult.
Why did you choose Certitude as your charity of choice?
Certitude has a relationship with a company called Wellfinity, which runs a gym near Certitude’s Ealing office. Certitude approached Wellfinity to see if anyone would be interested in running the Marathon to raise money for the charity, and I know the CEO of Wellfinity, who suggested it to me. I knew I wanted to take part in the marathon, so when I read up on all the wonderful things that Certitude does, it confirmed my decision – and then it was full steam ahead!
What does running this marathon mean to you?
Running the London Marathon means the world to me as a runner, and to someone that was born and raised in London it’s an absolute dream.
How has your training been going? Any tips for other runners?
I have been training well, running 30 miles a week, competing in one event every month, drinking lots of water, watching lots of training tip videos, and generally getting advice from other runners who have completed the event.
What’s been the hardest moment in your training and how did you overcome it?
For me it’s all a test of your mental game to see whether, even on the days when you don’t want to do it, you still get out there and put one foot in front of the other. Trust me, you feel excellent benefits afterwards.
What time are you aiming to complete the marathon in?
The time I’m trying and hoping to complete it in is four hours and under, but I will be happy regardless of the time because it’s an iconic event.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us or share with us?
My Running team is called ‘MoreThanRunnin’ we are the Motivational Talking Runners, so we make running movies for Instagram and YouTube. But this will be a real test of myself, to see if I’m able to run, talk, and motivate whilst running the marathon.
If you want to donate to our runners JustGiving pages, you can do so here:
- Rhona Leishman https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/RhonaLeishman
- Nick Brewer: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/NickBrewer
- Eric Morgan: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/EricMorgan
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter where we’ll be posting updates from our runners on the day!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CertitudeLondon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Certitude