London Marathon 2019: Runners from Royston and villages go the distance

Runners from our area pounded the streets of the capital on Sunday for the 2019 London Marathon.

Craig McMurrough, who ran dressed as a giant ovary in memory of his sister Cheryl Earnshaw who died of ovarian cancer, completed the 26.2-mile challenge in 7h33m14s and raised more than £4,000 for Ovacome.

He told the Crow: “It was phenomenal.

“The costume went down really well – women, in particular, were blown away by it. They were coming up to me, wanting a hug and sharing their stories, it was brilliant. Some didn’t know what the costume was, and that got the conversation started.

“I am really grateful to everyone in Royston who has supported me.”

Craig – who had already raised £20,000 for the cause through other marathons, sky dives and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro – will be highlighting World Ovarian Cancer Day on May 8 and will be handing out cards describing the warning signs.

“The sinisterness of this cancer means that people don’t often know the signs, so I will be handing out cards to raise awareness.”

If you would like Craig to visit your business on the awareness day to help highlight the condition, contact Alice Keen via a.keane@ovacome.org.uk.

Royston footballer Amy Cooper completed the marathon for Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund, the Type 1 diabetes charity, which is close to her heart as her partner Stuart was diagnosed with the condition when he was seven.

She went the distance in 5h43m15s and has raised more than £2,500 – smashing her £2,000 fundraising target.

A group of runners completed the course for Barley-based Khandel Light, which works to improve the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people in Rajasthan, India.

Bridget Gough, wife of charity founder Dr Peter Gough, finished in 4h55m30s, their son Richard notched up a time of 3h28m40s, Charley Brooke Barnett ran in 3h24m22s and John Adamson completed the race in 3h51m02s.

Seb Noller, who clocked up a time of 4h35m03s for Khandel Light, said: “I’m very glad I ran the marathon in the end. Luckily the pain has started to subside and I’m feeling half human again!

“I was amazed by how supportive the population of London were to all of the runners. I feel like that is a big part of what makes the day so special for everyone involved.”

Melbourn’s James Lovelace ran dressed in a Ultrasun sun cream bottle outfit in 05h22m11s. Having survived melanoma cancer after being diagnosed in 2015, James picked his costume to highlight an important message while also protecting him from the sun on the day.

“It was an absolutely amazing day,” he said.

“I’ve run three of the last four London Marathons and this was by far the best in terms of atmosphere. Mainly helped by my costume, spectators were shouting my name every five seconds on average for the whole distance. “I had loads of support from other runners as well, again mainly due to the costume.”