Courageous runner Lucy Abbey went ahead with her planned London Marathon run in aid of our charity, despite an injury to her hip that left her unable to train for a month before the event.
Lucy, 37, from Hartlepool was inspired to run in aid of the blood cancer charity after her friend and work colleague Julie Waines, 65, was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and underwent months of gruelling treatment.
Lucy spent the winter and early spring in training but suffered an injury affecting her sciatic nerve just four weeks before the London Marathon on April 27. She underwent physiotherapy but, after taking medical advice, decided to take part.
She said she was pleased to have done so and to have collected her medal, even though the event, run in exceptionally warm temperatures of up to 22C, left her exhausted and in significant pain for several days.
Lucy, who completed the 26.2 mile course around central London in six hours 33 minutes, has raised at least £2,400 for the charity. After crossing the finishing line and collecting her medal she said she felt elated – but half an hour later had collapsed with low blood pressure and needed medical assistance.
She said of the atmosphere at the start: “It was amazing – it was crazy, there were so many people. I didn’t get to see my family and friends while I was running because it was so busy, but I saw other runners being cheered on by their friends and it made me cry – it was so emotional!
“After I got my medal I felt better than I have done after a half marathon, which I have run before. I felt amazing until about half an hour after I had collected my medal, when I went a bit dizzy. I passed out twice and ended up in the medical zone. St John Ambulance were there to take care of me and I was fine when I got some food inside me.”
Before the race Lucy strapped up her injured hip and took some painkillers. She said during the race she didn’t feel much pain, but the high temperatures in London made the run particularly challenging and she was suffering in the days afterwards.
She said: “You are training during the winter and then you do the run in the heat. I hadn’t even brought any shorts to run in – I was planning to run in leggings. I had to go to a shop on the Saturday before the race and buy a pair of shorts!”
Lucy ran with her brother, Christopher and a friend, Beccy Horwood. Her parents, Julie and Ian were also there to cheer them on while Lucy’s husband Ste stayed at home to look after daughters Olive, eight and Poppy, five.
Another close friend, Debbie Rowley, was also there to support Lucy and Beccy. “She travelled with us to the start line helping calm our nerves and looked after us post marathon,” Lucy said.
She said while she had hugely enjoyed the event, it would probably be her first – and last – marathon. “I don’t think I would do another one,” she said. “The London Marathon is so iconic I
don’t think I would want to ruin that experience by taking part in another one and not enjoying it so much. It was lovely to do it for Julie.”
Lucy and Julie work at Northern Powergrid in Stockton on Tees. Julie, from Billingham, County Durham fell ill more than 12 months ago and was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. She said she was so grateful to Lucy for running the marathon on behalf of LMRUK.
Find out more about Julie’s journey here.
Our Head of Operations, Dr Joanna Tilley, said: “We are so proud of Lucy for taking part in aid of our charity – and impressed that she stuck to her guns, despite her injury. We know that efforts like this help patients, like Lucy’s friend Julie, by raising funds for research and improving awareness of blood cancers.”
