BORN FREE RUNNERS RAISE THOUSANDS AT HOTTEST EVER VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON!

The incredible ‘Run Wild’ team did Born Free proud at the 38th annual Virgin London Marathon on Sunday the 22nd of April.

With temperatures reaching a record-breaking 23.5 degrees, our team of 16 runners did an amazing job, and have collectively raised over £30,000 for vital conservation work.

Born Free patron, Aston Martin racing driver Darren Turner and his wife Katie both managed impressive times, and between them have raised over £6,300, with donations still coming in!

Darren, who is a three-time class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and has completed the marathon twice before, described the 2018 event as the hardest thing he’s ever done, but said it was a great feeling to complete the 26.2 mile route and pick up his medal!

Born Free’s very own Sarah Locke breezed through the course and managed to complete it in four hours and 41 minutes. Sarah, who works as PA to Will Travers, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in February, and the Marathon was the second part of her fundraising challenge for 2018, which has raised over £2,500 to date.
John Payne from Basingstoke was the fastest Born Free runner to cross the line, with a fantastic time of three hours and five minutes. He said: “It was certainly a test of endurance but worth every step!”

Runner Caroline Saker – AKA CaroLION - showed true grit and determination by completing the course, despite having to seek medical attention for an injury to her Achilles tendon and knee.

The other ‘Run Wild’ runners were Matt Willan from London, Martin Blake from Hillingdon, Lisa Richardson from Aylesford, Claire Monk and Philip McCulloch from Layer De La Haye, Pardip Minhas from Hayes, Hayley Crew from Colchester, Kirk Nickson from South Africa, Lisa Ferguson from Bromley, Harry Langton from London and Tom Corbett-Winder from Shrewsbury.

Born Free’s Events Manager, Joanne Bartholomew said: “The London Marathon is such a special day, and as usual the atmosphere was amazing! I’m in absolute awe of all our runners this year, they really did us proud - especially on such a hot day! We were really pleased to able to be there and congratulate them as they crossed the finishing line!”

Team Born Free
Martin Blake and Kirk Nickson