Maiden Marathon

A MAN raised £1,250 for charity by running his first marathon.

Dale Bartram, 45, of Milldown Road, Goring, finished the 26.2-mile race in Dublin in three hours, 36 minutes and 47 seconds.

He ran alongside fellow villagers Richard Corbett, of Icknield Road, who was running his 11th marathon, and Gary McVie, of Manor Road, who was taking part in his second.

Mr Bartram, who has competed several times in the annual Goring 10km race, signed up following the death of his uncle David Bartram, from Scunthorpe, in April.

He wanted to raise money for Parkinson’s UK as Mr Bartram had suffered from the disease. He trained by running several times a week, gradually increasing the  distance.



In September he took part in the Great North Run, a half-marathon, and finished in an hour and 45 minutes.

Last month he completed the London Royal Parks half marathon, coming home in an hour and 38 minutes.

For the Dublin marathon his wife Emma and their two daughters flew out with him and cheered him as he crossed the finishing line.

Mr Bartram said: “The weather wasn’t great as it was rainy and windy but I completed the first half at a decent pace. However, there were a couple of hills at about 20 miles that really hit me hard and I was on auto-pilot by the time I finished.

“The minute you stop running you’re suddenly hit by all these aches and pains you’ve been ignoring for hours.

“It was quite emotional when I looked back and thought about what I’d just done.”

Mr Bartram hopes to enter another marathon next year.

He said: “I definitely want to keep my fitness levels up and maintain my weight as I’ve lost about a stone.

“I’d often considered running a marathon but I never thought I’d do so well.”

To sponsor Mr Bartram, visit http://uk.virginmoney giving.com/dalebartram