To all you eagle-eyed marathon spotters, did anyone catch sight of Wonder Woman in amongst the trees, dinosaurs, superheroes and even a bottle of beer! That was our UK clinical application specialist Vanessa Wickens, as she joined over 30,000 runners to fulfil her dream of running in this great event, all while raising money for a fantastic cause.
"Although I’ve already run five marathons, I’m more of a half-marathon runner really and, just now, I suspect that this will have been the peak and final race of my marathon ‘career’. And what a peak! What an experience! My total so far is £3,000, which makes all that training in the freezing British Spring weather worthwhile! Thanks so much to everyone out there for all your support, and to FUJIFILM Sonosite for donating an incredibly generous £1,250 to get me started!
I was so proud to be running on behalf of the charity Over the Wall, which provides residential camps around the UK for children and young people facing serious health challenges. I’ve been a huge advocate for this incredible charity since I first came across it when I was working as a radiographer and sonographer at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. My sister – a play specialist – accompanied some of her patients to one of its camps, and seeing the impact it had on her led me to volunteer. Five years on, I still feel so privileged to be part of something that gives children the opportunity to grow in confidence and be themselves, without being defined by their illnesses.
Amazing though it was to finally run the London Marathon, my most important goal was to raise awareness about Over The Wall – please visit www.otw.org.uk and check out the amazing work that it does".