A Bedfordshire woman has described running in the TCS London Marathon as quite simply amazing after she joined Sue Ryder’s 86-strong team at the weekend to raise vital funds for the charity which cared for her father-in-law in his final days.
Lyndsey Taylor, from Cople in Bedfordshire had never run a marathon before, but went on to complete the 26-mile stretch through the streets of the capital in just over six hours, raising more than £2,500 in memory of her father-in-law, Derek Taylor, who was cared for at Sue Ryder’s Moggerhanger-based hospice eight years ago.
Lyndsey, director of events management company, Park Lane Events, said: “It’s was a massive feat for me and something I said I would only do once. It was never about the time I ran it in, if it took eight hours that was fine with me, I just wanted to cross the finish line and raise as much money as possible for Sue Ryder.
“It’s true what people said to me before I ran – the crowd really carries you through. Seeing the Sue Ryder stand was emotional, especially when I saw my family stood at the first stand I passed. The second time was quite late in the day, at which point, I really appreciated the Sue Ryder team still being there. It really meant a lot.
“I am so pleased to have raised over £2,500 for Sue Ryder but also awareness too. On the tube on the way home, I was wearing my medal and a lady asked me who I had run for, she knew who I was talking about and seemed quite touched that I was running for Sue Ryder. Moments like this make all the training and effort throughout worthwhile, as well as the medal at the end of the course!
“I would like to say a huge thank you to my husband for keeping everything going at home whilst I focussed on my training alongside running my business. As well as everyone who has donated to my fundraising total,” Lyndsey added.
Lyndsey’s father-in-law, Derek, was diagnosed with cancer in April 2014. He died just six short weeks later leaving his family devastated. “He always said I was the daughter he never had, we were really close” said Lyndsey. “He was a proper hands-on grandad too,” added Lyndsey who has two daughters who were aged four and seven at the time their grandfather died.
“I have a number of memories of Derek’s time at the hospice, one being when my four-year-old daughter was with us on one of our visits and wanted to eat her grandad’s ice-cream. The nurses didn’t mind; they were so flexible. It’s those small things that stay in my mind – those last little memories where you can be a normal family in a medical setting that sometimes can feel quite scary.
“It was only seven days that he spent at the hospice, but I could talk for hours about the care he received there. It’s not only the support that the staff give to the patients that means so much, it’s how they treat the wider family too,” Lyndsey added.
Running the marathon was also a personal goal for Lyndsey, after what had been another difficult couple of years for her. “When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, my business was basically flat lined. I had over two years’ worth of events cancelled, I pretty much lost my business. All that grief that I felt before came back. I went through panic and anger – the same motions as you do when you lose someone. I felt like I needed to get back on track, so when the marathon came up, I was keen to sign up. I just thought this is going to be easy in comparison to what I have been through before.”
When asked what she would say to people thinking about signing up to the 2023 London Marathon, Lyndsey added: “Go for it. You will be amazed at what your body and mind can do once you set your mind to it. It’s so important to have the support around you too, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I loved the whole experience and as they say, ‘it’s the finish line, not the finish time’ and that was my mantra.”
Charlotte Griggs, Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, added: “A huge thank you and well done to all of our London Marathon runners this year. What an incredible achievement! Our care teams do all they can to make room for the things that matter – like spending time with loved ones, sharing stories, jokes and memories, and filling their final days with love. All money raised from memory-making events like the London Marathon help our care teams to be there for families at this time when it matters most.”
To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Lyndsey-Taylor10
If Lyndsey’s story has inspired you to lace up your trainers and run the London Marathon for Sue Ryder in 2023, visit: sueryder.org/london
Get daily FREE news here:
Sign up to get your own daily update of Bedfordshire News — It’s free.
