Local runner takes on the virtual London Marathon for Farleigh Hospice

James Emsden is taking on the virtual London Marathon for Farleigh Hospice. The Chelmsford based runner was originally going to run the marathon in April, his place has been deferred, but James still wanted to put all his training into practice and run the virtual marathon on Sunday 4th October.

James said: “This is my first marathon! It has always been an ambition of mine to take part in the London Marathon. I had trained hard throughout the summer, hoping it would go ahead in October, and I was disappointed when it was cancelled.

I then received a phone call from Farleigh Hospice asking if I wanted to take part in the virtual marathon, with a set route around the hospice. I had kept up my training, really worked hard, and so I wanted to challenge myself and take part.

I have been training four to five times a week, and this helped me through the lockdown. Running gives me something to look forward to, a positive start to my day. I have set up a JustGiving page, and so far raised £900. I am hoping when things change, and we can meet up again to run my quiz, which was originally planned for earlier this year.

I am supporting Farleigh Hospice as I used to be a volunteer gardener at their Broomfield site. It was part of our corporate volunteering programme at Anglia Ruskin University. The experience inspired me, and so I decided to run the marathon for Farleigh.”