Jon COMPLETES THE FLORA LONDON MARATHON CHALLENGE
TO HELP PEOPLE LIVING WITH CANCER

On Sunday 26th April, Jon Matthews, 38, from Lychpit completed his first ever marathon raising vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Jon joined the 36,000 runners leaving Greenwich to complete the 26.2 mile Flora London Marathon course around the London streets, finishing at The Mall in an impressive 4hrs & 19mins.

Says Jon “It was an absolutely incredible experience! It was a much warmer day than predicted which made it tough going for all of the 35,500 runners who completed the course in the sweltering temperatures. The atmosphere was amazing though, with crowds lining the roads all the way along the 26.2 mile course cheering the runners on.

It was the toughest most physical challenge I have ever undertaken and was punishing towards the end as the day heated up. It is said that "marathons start at 20 miles" and after experiencing cramp in my legs at 21 & 23 miles, I really understand what the saying means now!

My race day support team of wife, Caroline & father-in-law, Charles were absolutely fantastic. The support from the Macmillan cheering points along the route was amazing with people cheering and screaming you on as you ran past. I also really appreciated receiving the many messages of support and good luck from family, friends and work colleagues before the race as it really helped when going through the tough parts of the course.

More importantly through your support and generous donations, I hope to have now raised over £1500 from this marathon challenge for Macmillan Cancer Support. This will make real difference to the lives of people affected by cancer as over 99% of Macmillan is funded by public donations”.

Last October, Jon also completed the Great North Run in Newcastle and the Great South Run in Portsmouth raising £1750 for Macmillan. After now completing the London Marathon, Jon is on target to raise a total of over £3,250

As a result of the publicity in 'Basinga' and on the Basinga Extra website Jon received very generous donations from Old Basing and Lychpit residents which total over £150!  It is still not too late to add your donation!