SAIF Golden Charter

Marathon superstar

Mark Broom was one of the 40,255 runners who endured record temperatures to complete the gruelling 26.2-mile Virgin London Marathon on 22 April.

Mark, whose partner Jo Hodgson works at C Fewster & Son in the Hull area, was able to raise £2,000 for the SportsAid charity, thanks to support from friends, family, work colleagues and other local businesses, including Golden Charter.

Mark said: “The race day itself was a fantastic experience and one I shall never forget. Although I had set myself a target time based on the training that I had put in over a cold winter and spring, on the day the heat prevented any such ambitions. I soon realised at about quarter distance that just finishing was going to be my main objective.”

Despite the challenging conditions, he crossed the finish line on The Mall in five hours 18 minutes.

He said: “I received a fantastic response from many people and organisations, such as Golden Charter, to help me reach my fundraising target. SportsAid do an incredible job of supporting young British sportsmen and women who aspire to be our next Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth and world champions. In the last three years, SportsAid has helped more than 5,000 of the nation’s brightest 12-18 year olds achieve their potential. The impact on British sport and, as a consequence, the British public has been huge.”

Looking back Mark said he had great memories of the day: “If there’s one overriding memory that I have of the race – apart from relentless pain – it’s the overwhelming support that I and all the runners received from the crowds that lined the course. It was deafening at times, but without this I’m sure a lot more people would not have made it to the finish.

“I would especially like to thank Jo and her mum Roz for putting up with me for the last four months while I seemed to focus on nothing else but running, and their support on the big day.”