London Marathon runners round-up

THE daughter of Henley's former parks manager said it felt “amazing” to complete the London Marathon in his memory.

Corinna Bartle, 21, was running in support of Sue Ryder, which provided palliative care in Nettlebed to her father Gareth before he died in 2018 from terminal lung and brain cancer.

She was one of a number of people from Henley and the surrounding area who took part in Sunday’s event.

This year, the marathon beat the world record for the total number of finishers at 56,640 which surpassed the previous record held in New York.

There were about 60,000 more supporters than usual cheering them on which race director Hugh Brasher put down to the warm weather and the number of participants.

Miss Bartle, who grew up in Pangbourne, completed the course in a time of six hours and two minutes and raised more than £3,100 for the hospice charity.

Her father had worked for the town council for 13 years and played a key role in supporting Henley in Bloom.

During his tenure the town won six consecutive gold awards in the town category of the regional Britain in Bloom contest.

Miss Bartle said: “It was all a bit of a blur when I finished the race. I was just in disbelief that I was there and then I was very emotional. My goal was just to finish because I wasn’t a runner before deciding to do this.

“It was a lot hotter than I was expecting so I definitely had to adjust my aims because I saw people were passing out and so I ran a bit slower.

“But the atmosphere was amazing. I was running with someone in a rhino costume at one point and I saw Alexandra Burke [the singer], stretching. I kept going because I didn’t want to distract her.

“You had people out with signs, people handing out sweets and drinks and biscuits. The camaraderie between the runners was so lovely.”

She said there were points where she struggled but refused to give up. She was cheered on by her mother Janet, partner Lucy Ball, 21, and eight of her friends.

Miss Bartle said: “There were times when it was really difficult but it didn’t even cross my mind to give up because I knew I was doing it for my dad and anybody else who would go through something like he did.”

Rachel Merritt, 35, who lives just outside Henley, ran the marathon in aid of Bliss, a charity which supports premature babies and their families.

She was inspired to take on the challenge after her son Arthur was born 12 weeks prematurely. Arthur, now aged two, spent the first few months of his life in the high-dependency unit of the John Radcliffe Hospital where he learnt to breathe independently. Since then, Mrs Merritt raised £4,000 for the charity that supported her during that difficult time.

She said: “Arthur was discharged from neonatal care at the end of March. So as the day approached it felt like it was kind of a closing that chapter, which is a really nice feeling.

“I was really nervous beforehand and quite emotional because it just felt like a really big deal for me and all this money had been raised. But, when you get there, there's such a good atmosphere that you stop feeling so nervous and are just excited to get on with it.

Mrs Merritt completed the marathon in four hours and 35 minutes, adding: “It was so much better than I thought it would be. The crowds absolutely make it, there’s not a single quiet bit. It's like you're at a carnival but everyone is running.”

Rob Eaglesham, 42, of Crisp Road, Henley, ran the marathon for Sue Ryder and completed the race in four hours and 56 minutes.

He was cheered on by his brothers James and Andrew, nephew, Dennis, 10, wife Annabel and sons Bobby six and Maxwell eight.

Mr Eaglesham knew the heat was going to be an issue. He said: “I was very hot so I just wanted to get around the course, I didn’t have any time goals.

To cool runners down Mr Eaglesham said that the fire brigade had set up at different points along the course to spray water. He said: “The first half I took quite slowly and nice and comfortably. At 14 miles I saw my wife and kids and Sue Ryder has a charity point with bells and whistles and a guy with a megaphone. It was really cool.”

Mr Eaglesham said that he had chosen to raise money for Sue Ryder after a close friend with brain cancer received hospice support from a similar charity in his final days.

He raised just about £3,000 for the charity, which will be match funded by Invesco where he works in regulatory reporting.

Sam Scales, 33, from Henley, ran in memory of his uncle Michael Barker who died after a cardiac arrest following a heart attack in June 2023.

He also wanted to run in support of his mother Nicky, who was fitted with a pacemaker last year.

Mr Scales ran the course in three hours and 27 minutes and raised more than £5,500 for the British Heart Foundation.

He said: “Taking part in the marathon was such a huge challenge and an incredible experience. The atmosphere around the course was electric and it was amazing having so many people cheering me on. It made me even more determined to cross the finish line.  I’m proud that I’m doing as much as I can to support the amazing work of the charity to help keep families across the UK together for longer.” 

Henrietta Wood, 47, of Western Road, Henley, completed the marathon in four hours and 19 minutes.

She was running in aid of the Rainbow Trust Children’s charity which supports families who have a child with a threatening or terminal illness and raised more than £4,000 which will be matched by Invesco.

Mrs Wood, who works as an executive assistant at the company, said: “The conditions were challenging because it was much warmer than anything I’ve ever trained up to at this point.

“You had to change your pace you wanted to go because of the dehydration and the effects of the sun but the support of the crowd was mind-blowing. Some parts, like running past Tower Bridge, were just a wall of noise.”

Twenty-three miles into the race, however, Mrs Wood said she began to feel unwell but was determined to carry on.

She said: “It was a combination of taking too much caffeine from the gels and dehydration. I felt quite faint. Fortunately, it passed because if it continued there’s no way I would have been able to continue.”

Mrs Wood said: “I was so tearful when I saw my family because they were so proud of me. I was overwhelmed by a combination of feelings.

“I was still running with a sore hamstring and painful foot from training and I had a treatment all the way up until the Friday before the Sunday to try and get me over the line. I was very relieved I managed to do it.”