Of the 39,487 competitors who crossed the finish line of the London Marathon on Sunday, seven were members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club.
Matt Jeffries finished in 489th place in a time of 2-43.58. Tummy trouble around the 18 mile mark (Which turned out to be Matt’s Appendix which he had to have out 2 days later)
It affected his performance but he was still happy to record a sub 2.45 time. It was his second marathon following his victory at last year’s Bungay Marathon.
Sam Lines was taking part in her first marathon and she finished in a time of 3-24.38. Sam ran in aid of Mind, the charity for better mental health.
It was also a debut at the distance for James Drake. He crossed the finish line in 3-29.11.
Rebecca Harris, another marathon first timer, ran in aid of Sense, the charity that supports the
deaf blind and sensory impaired, raising more than £1,500. She finished the race in a time of 4-39.53.
Rob Knights was also tackling the distance for the first time. He recorded a time of 4-42.00.
Yet another marathon debutante was Michaela ‘ Kaly ‘ Gooch. She ran the event to raise money
for Bliss, the charity for premature and sick babies. Her own daughter Charlotte was born at 26 weeks and recently her grand-daughter Luna was born at 30 weeks. She raised over £1,200 and her finishing time was 5-35.19.
Mark Smith has set himself the challenge of ten marathons this year in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. London was his third and despite his decision just a few hours before the start to drop out due to a
stomach bug, he still found himself drawn towards the start line. He then spent about an hour of the race with various St John Ambulance staff around the course. He was determined to finish, however, and reached the end of the race in 6-02.20.