Meet David, one of our 2025 London Marathon runners!
* We will be following David's journey as he prepares for the London Marathon 2025. Each month, David will be updating us on his training progress, and discuss why he is running for Kidney Care UK, and what kidney disease means to him.
October's diary:
How I would describe October's training in a single word
Discipline. This is the one key word I would use to describe training for a marathon run. I have been training for a month now and I am already very aware of how disciplined I need to be! I must run often and do a ‘long’ run each weekend, no matter what the weather is or how I am feeling.
How the first month of training has been?
My actual marathon training programme starts in January, ending with the run in April 2025. However, I have already started running, often a few miles most mornings before I start work and at the weekend. I also go to the gym twice a week as stretching out really helps after a run and helps manage the stiffness in the legs. I run alone and I would have loved a running partner to share the ‘running love’ with.
How far I have run to date and where I am ‘beginning’ from
I am 60 years old and over my ‘fun run career’, I have never run more than a half marathon! So far, I have done four 10-mile runs, which take me two hours at my speed. It hurts (and I am glad when it is over!) but I stay focused. I quite enjoy listening to music and the escapism of running. I wouldn’t recommend switching off too much though; I run on roads and some car drivers are not always considerate of runners (though most are).
Why I have to do so much training to prepare
In November, I plan to start running 12 or 13 miles each weekend. Just writing that makes me realise how disciplined I must remain. But you just need to make running this distance a ‘muscle memory’, so that your body and mind know what to do and how to do it. It is mad to think that a 13 mile run only gets you to the half marathon stage and there is a still another half marathon to go! I plan to use the formal training programme from January to take me forward to those final training challenges.
All that sounds quite a scary, even though I still have six months to train before the London Marathon. But that is why running a marathon is such a good achievement for us non-runners; we want to complete this challenge for ourselves and for our good causes.
I will keep the faith. Lots of people have or will sponsor me and I am running for Kidney Care UK and #RunningForGrace. So, I will finish it!
David competing in the London Sprint Triathlon in July
September's diary:
#RunningForGrace: why I am running for Kidney Care UK
It is a personal story and one that is important to my family. My mother-in-law, Grace, lived with kidney disease and kidney failure until she passed away in February 2024. Grace had a wonderful presence about her and played a huge part in our family life. Her life adventures included moving to the UK from India in the late 1950s, a 50-year marriage to her husband, two children (including Jacqui, my wife) and five grandchildren. She always maintained a positive energy and dealt with any life challenge with a sense of humour and a real can-do attitude, something that I always admired. Grace was well loved and respected by all and made friends wherever she went.
For the last four to five years of her life, Grace had to visit the haemodialysis clinic three times a week to receive treatment. Each visit, including travel, lasted close to five hours. Before starting her dialysis treatment, Grace’s kidneys had ceased to function, and her overall health was very poor. The treatment and the amazing support provided by the clinic team enabled Grace to have an additional five years of quality of life with her family and friends, which was amazing.
In her time, Grace organised many events raising funds for a variety of charities, and she would have been thrilled that I am running for Kidney Care UK, though, of course, she would have told me off for making a fuss!
How I felt when I got a place to run for Kidney Care UK
The first thing to say is that I have never run a marathon before, so the London Marathon will be quite a challenge! Like most first-time runners, I had a real mix of emotions when I got my place. Initially I was over the moon at being chosen to run for such a good cause and to have the opportunity to raise some funds in Grace’s memory.
It’s a long way to go before the Marathon but I am most looking forward to reaching the finish line and saying, ‘I did it’!
Then the reality struck; I had to run 26 miles in April 2025! It is such a long way, and it will mean I have to completely devote myself to the cause, but I am determined to stay resilient throughout and I am looking forward to the challenge. I am not worried about race timings, just finishing it for myself and for the cause I am keen to support.
What I am most nervous about and what I am most looking forward to
I am nervous about training in the winter, finding the time in the week to run when it is dark and cold. I do not enjoy running on treadmills for too long and I much prefer being outside. I also do not want to overdo the training too soon and get injured.
I will follow a training plan from January. But I am trying to make the most before winter and do some training runs now. I did the London Sprint Triathlon in July, which included at 750 metre swim and a 5k run.
I am looking forward to family and friends supporting me and, more importantly, the cause and the event. I hope to enjoy some of the training, in that I hope to feel fitter in myself, which helps in so many parts of life. It’s a long way to go before the London Marathon but I am most looking forward to reaching the finish line and saying, ‘I did it’!