JOCA is a charity I have strong bonds with and wanted to raise both awareness and funds for the amazing work they do. JOCA is there to help our members through the tough times, as well as be a part of the good. Being a new dad I want to try to show my son you are never alone.
Training for the marathon was intense yet enjoyable, I was running up to 52 miles a week. Friends and team mates kept me motivated with constant text messages and phone calls. My family was the key driver for me and kept me going on the long runs on a Sundays, it was like Peter Pan with a happy thought.
The day of the race was amazing, London was like a small chocolate box village. One of the highlights, apart from the finish line, was running over London bridge — the views were spectacular. I finished the Marathon in 3hrs 52 minutes (22 minutes over my target, but that won’t keep me up at night).
I would like to take this time to thank the JOCA team for all the support and my sponsors for all the donations. My family and friends for all the love and support they gave me to get me to the finish line, with out you guys all the challenges in my life would seem bigger and my problems would be heavier.
Kyle Birkin