A marathon effort from Sleaford area runners

Alex Tilley pictured at the London Marathon. Image supplied.

Hannah Sear may have described herself as ‘far from athletic’ when she spoke to the Standard ahead of the race, but she still managed to complete the full 26.2mile course in hot conditions.

The 34 year-old from Heckington was running in aid of the charity Cardiomyopathy UK - which has been helping her father through illness. She raised £2,612. After needing to stop a couple of times on-route, Hannah made it over the finish line in around seven hours.

Sleaford man Alex Tilley took on the marathon in his mum’s memory - raising £2,700 for Pancreatic Cancer UK. The 29-year-old said he picked up an injury before the race that threatened to stop him taking part altogether.

Hannah Sear pictured with her father Geoff. Image supplied

“It got that bad that I almost deferred my place to next year’s race,” he said. “But a couple of trips to the Osteopathic Clinic in Sleaford last week got me to a manageable state to run.”

Alex finished in 4hrs 35mins in the heat - a feat made more difficult as most of his training for the race had been in icy conditions.

He added: “It was a great experience with incredible support all the way round and I’m sure mum would have been proud of me.”

Billingborough duo Debbie Chessum and Dr Jonathan Parry took on the 26.2 mile race together in aid of the charity Ovacome - having lost four family members to ovarian cancer between them.

Debbie Chessum and Dr Jonathan Parry. Image supplied.

Both are veteran marathon runners, with Debbie, 44, having previously undertaken 11, and Dr Parry, 59, completing three. Their team, called ‘Doc and Deb’ has raised almost £15,000 for the charity.

Speaking to the Standard, Debbie said “It was so hot and extremely tough. When I saw people collapsing at the half way mark I just stopped worrying about my time and focussing on just finishing the race altogether.”

Debbie’s time was 4hrs 46mins - with Jonathan completing it in 7hrs 58mins.

Debbie added: “We are completely blown away by the amazing donations from you all - thank you so very much.”

Debbie Chessum and Dr Jonathan Parry, pictured centre, along with fellow runners Susie Gosby and Lee Wilcox. Image supplied.

Cranwell man Jack Padley completed the full marathon in 4hrs 12mins.

His efforts have raised around £1,800 for the Max Appeal charity which supports families affected by DiGeorge Syndrome. This is a rare chromosome condition causing life-long complications. He chose this charity in honour of a family friend who suffers from the condition.

Jack was supported on the day by a team of 20 friends and relatives who cheered him on from the sidelines.

Speaking after the race, Jack said: “It was stupidly hot and I didn’t get to complete it in under four hours, but it was a great atmosphere and I think I’ll do another one in a couple of years’ time.”