“It wasn’t just about me”, wrote Mary Corbett after she completed the London Marathon on Sunday (27th April).
“This was about tens of thousands of other runners, all with their own reason for taking on such an enormous challenge.
“This was a personal battle, one I had to win”, Mary, who has lived with M.E. since 2013, wrote on Facebook.
She is the founder of the ‘Tandem Tart Ten' cycling challenge in the New Forest National Park, Hampshire, which has raised almost £20,000 for our Ramsay Research Fund since it started 10 years ago.
She is so close to that target that she could touch it today!
One of her early tandem cycling partners was German professional rider Jens Voigt, a two-time winner of the Tour de France’s yellow jersey
But this was Sunday. This was the London Marathon, the world’s biggest marathon and 67-year-old Mary was now living her dream!
Backed by a big support crew including members of the Eastleigh Running Club, Mary wrote:
“My wave was set off at 11.19am, just in time to feel the full force of the 22-degree heat along with the most intense humidity I’ve ever encountered.
“Support from the massive crowds and volunteers lining the route was insane. Nowhere were we on our own. The live music was sensational, I wanted to dance and jiggle but just about managed to refrain from such activities.
“I cried with happiness, I cried with overwhelming emotion and I cried with the pain when it all got too much.
“I have no idea how I got through those last few miles but I did, along with 56,639 other competitors, some having to be carried across the finish line.
“My target all along was to compete the 26.2 miles in under six hours. To say I’m not happy with running it in 5.34.27 would be ungracious but I know I can do better. How quickly we forget the words “never again”. It seems I’ve been bitten by the marathon bug!
“Frankie and Norman, I love you to bits.
“Together, team Tandem Tart has raised £19,810 for the ME Associations Ramsay Research Fund. Please can we make £20k?”
Mary's London Marathon Challenge
Fundraising for ME Association
Note from the MEA: This is not a challenge that we would recommend to anyone with ME/CFS. But Mary is a fully-trained athlete who has been challenging herself physically for many years and knows how to minimise the risks involved.
*** If you are someone with ME/CFS who is considering taking on a physical challenge to raise money for charity, or indeed someone organising a challenge that might involve people with ME/CFS, please first read this note we have prepared for your guidance:
https://meassociation.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising-important-notice/
Tony Britton
Senior Fundraising Volunteer, The ME Association
fundraising@meassociation.org.uk
