Baby Lifeline has nine dedicated supporters running the 2022 TCS London Marathon for us on Sunday (2 October).
Here’s a chance to find out about more about them, including how training has been going, and why they decided run to raise money for our charity.
All donations received, however big or small, will give them a boost as they make their final preparations for their 26-mile run!
LARA CARTER
Midwife Lara Carter has been running for a few years, starting with weekly Park Runs with her children. “It was a good way to get them outside doing something,” she recalls.
Her running took a step up during the Covid-19 lockdowns, when she continued working in a hospital, while also home-schooling her children. “It was a very intense time and running helped clear my head,” she says.
With her children growing up fast and losing interest in their weekly jogs in their local park, running has become Lara’s personal passion. “I got hooked,” she explains.
“I started with a 5k run, then a 10k, and then I kept entering things to push myself a little bit more, knowing that I wanted to build up to a marathon.”
Training has sometimes been difficult to manage, alongside her work and her kids, but having an end goal has kept Lara going.
However, she won’t be able to rest after Sunday’s London Marathon – she’s running the Great Eastern Run in Peterborough on 16 October alongside her neighbours, who she encouraged to start running.
Lara’s family will be in London to support her on marathon day, along with some of her colleagues from the baby unit. “I chose to run for Baby Lifeline as it’s a charity that helps our jobs become that little bit easier,” she says. “I want to be part of that.”
To sponsor Lara Carter, please visit her fundraising page.
JENNIFER KITCHEN
Not only is Sunday’s London Marathon Jennifer Kitchen’s 15th marathon, but it’s also her sixth and final star in World Marathon Majors which has taken her and her family around the world. “The finish line means so much more than ever before – I can’t believe it’s here,” says Jennifer, who’s flying over from Philadelphia to run.
Over the last eight years, Jennifer has completed the Berlin, Tokyo, Chicago, Boston, and New York Marathons. This time is a bit different though – she will be 27 weeks pregnant on the day of the race! “I’m fortunate to have pregnancies that have allowed me to run right up until when I gave birth, but this will be my first time running a marathon pregnant,” explains Jennifer.
Jennifer’s husband and their two children, aged five and two, will be travelling to London with her. “My son is so excited to be in London,” she says. “He can’t wait to see Big Ben.”
When she’s not running herself, Jennifer leads pre-and post-natal fitness classes, and she was keen to run on behalf of a charity that focuses on motherhood and pregnancy.
“I learned of the opportunity to run for Baby Lifeline days before I found out I was pregnant,” she recalls. “I’m hoping that, on race day, the crowd will give me that extra motivation to keep going.”
To sponsor Jennifer Kitchen please visit her fundraising page.
MATTHEW ELLIS
“I can’t imagine what it’s like to experience a neonatal loss of a child,” says Matt, whose own daughter was breech, causing complications during her birth.
Having always thought about running a marathon, Matt decided it was time to run for a charity, specifically Baby Lifeline. “For me, Baby Lifeline was the perfect fit,” he explains.
Matt ran the London Marathon for us last year in 2.56 hours. “I completed a 16-week training programme and the whole thing was a whirlwind,” he says.
“You train for a marathon on your own, and then, on the day, you’re there with more than 50,000 other people, and the people who are there cheering you on are remarkable.”
There was never a question that he would run again for us on Sunday. “Immediately after I finished last time, my wife said, ‘When you run it next year, me and the kids are going to stand here’,” pointing out the spot she and their two children will be waiting to see Matt pass by in just a few days’ time.
Like Baby Lifeline’s other Marathon runners, Matt’s looking forward to Sunday, and the end of months of intense training and fundraising.
“If just one child has a safe birth as a result of the money I’ve raised,” concludes Matt, “it’ll all be worth it for me.”
Support Matt by donating here.
CHARLEY BURGESS
“After that, I did what a lot of people do after they’ve run a marathon – I stopped running for a while,” she recalls.
This marathon will be Charley’s second – her last 26-mile run was the Paris Marathon, which she completed in 2014 alongside her sister.
Charley decided to run the London Marathon for Baby Lifeline after her best friend’s baby boy passed away at six days old. “It was a real incentive to find a charity and start training,” she explains.
Charley’s now fully back into running and is looking forward to Sunday. She’s hoping to finish in less than four hours, despite having a hamstring injury. “I think it will set me back a bit,” she says.
With her on the day will be her “cheer squad” of friends and family, who will be supporting her at different points of the route.
“I’ve always wanted to do the London Marathon. In my mind, it’s the best in the world in terms of the crowd,” she says.
Following this weekend, Charley’s attention will move from marathon running to wedding planning – she’s getting married in December.
She does, however, want to keep running. “I hope I don’t have another hiatus,” she says, “but we’ll see!”
To sponsor Charley Burgess, donate here.
DR JENNIE KERR
Dr Jennie Kerr, an Obstetric Anaesthetist at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, has been running on and off for around 12 years, but this will be her first marathon.
“I’ve really got back into running over the past few years, and I did the Birmingham Half Marathon in May. The furthest I’ve run so far is 18 miles,” she says.
Jennie, who has a young family, the most difficult part of training has been finding time for her longer weekend runs, with her sometimes needing to deviate from her training schedule when she’s on-call on Saturdays or Sundays.
Generally, though, Jennie’s been able to put in the hours of training needed to be ready for the big day. “My family has made time for me to run because they know it’s important for me, and it makes me a happier, calmer person,” she says.
Jennie decided to run for Baby Lifeline because we’re a charity she feels closely connected to, not just because she works in maternity, but because she is also a former Course Director for our Maternal Critical Care Course.
“I’ve been fundraising via Facebook and posters, which I’ put up at work – I knew that Baby Lifeline is a charity my colleagues would be able to get on board with,” says Jennie.
To sponsor Dr Jennie Kerr, please visit her fundraising page.
BARRY JERVIS
“Most marathon training plans say to run up to 20 or 22 miles ahead of the day itself. I’ve done 22 and a half – I’m not turning up underprepared,” says Barry Jervis, Chair of Baby Lifeline.
Before training for the London Marathon, the furthest Barry had run was 7.5 miles, and he’d run the Great Birmingham Run 10k (6.2 miles) a couple of times.
A big birthday inspired his decision to put himself forward for Sunday’s event. “I’ve always had it in the back in my mind to do a marathon,” he explains, “and when I turned 50 last year, I thought, If I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it.”
Barry began his training by running five times a week but went on to run every other day, mostly in the evenings after work.
“You don’t realise the commitment until you do it yourself,” he says. “Training has really infringed on my family life. Adding to that, is the pressure of running for a charity – you don’t want to let anybody down, including yourself.”
Barry’s wife will be watching him run the marathon. “Afterwards, I think we’ll go for dinner and some drinks near to where we’re staying in London,” he says. “I won’t want to walk far that night!”
To sponsor Barry Jervis, please visit his fundraising page.
ABIGAIL MELLOY
“I had Covid when I signed up to run the London Marathon for Baby Lifeline,” recalls Abigail Melloy. “I was feeling fed up and saw it as a great challenge.”
That was back in April, now the marathon is just days away, how is Abigail feeling? “It’s my first marathon, so for me, it’s about trying to enjoy it. I’d like to finish within five hours. I’ve done four half marathons, one in less than 1.53 hours, so I think I’ll be okay.”
Having come from a family of runners, Abigail is used to receiving advice on training. However, she stuck to the schedule provided by the London Marathon team, completing two runs during the week, and a longer one at the weekend.
On the night before the marathon, Abigail plans to go to Pizza Express and order her favourite meal: Pollo Pesto. After the marathon, she’s looking forward to having a warm bath.
“I will get back to running,” she says, “but I’ll enjoy a few weeks off first, starting with a spa day.”
To sponsor Abigail Melloy, please visit her fundraising page.
DR ABAIGH MCKEE
Baby Lifeline’s own Dr Abaigh McKee is running the London Marathon after the team convinced her it was a challenge she wanted to take on.
A regular runner, Abaigh hadn’t considered entering a marathon until the opportunity arose to run for our charity.
“I would run quite often, but not long distance,” says Abaigh. “I hadn’t done any races before, so I signed up for the Eyam Half Marathon, which took place in the Peak District in May, to see whether or not I’d be able to commit to the full 26-mile run.”
Fortunately for Baby Lifeline, Abaigh enjoyed the Eyam event, and her training for the London Marathon then continued in earnest – after a few weeks off.
“The most challenge point for me mentally, was running the half marathon, and then having a break in training, because I had a couple of busy weekends,” recalls Abaigh. “I then found it hard to progress beyond 14 miles.”
Abaigh pushed on, and soon realised that she could go further, much further – her longest pre-Marathon run has been 20 miles.
Now’s she’s ready for the big day and is thrilled to be raising money for us. “Baby Lifeline is a small charity doing mighty things,” she says. “I know the money raised really does make a difference.”
Support Abaigh McKee by donating here.
ADAM NICHOLLS
If Adam Nicholls was going to run a marathon, he wanted it to be an iconic one. “And the London Marathon is iconic,” he states.
This weekend’s 26-mile run through the capital will be Adam’s first marathon. “I’ve run three half marathons during the last three years, but this is my first full marathon,” he explains.
Adam’s followed a strict training plan and is aiming to finish within four hours on Sunday. “I will be gutted if I don’t complete it in under four hours,” he says. “My fastest half has been 1.42 hours.”
One of the reasons Adam’s so keen to reach that finish line, is because he wants to find his way to the nearest pub showing the football on TV. He’s a Manchester United supporter, and he wants to get settled in time for the Manchester derby (United v Manchester City) to kick off at 2pm.
Next, he’s going to head somewhere for a few cocktails, before heading to the Lake District to a rented cottage with an outdoor bath, says Adam. “I’m going to sit in that for a couple of hours, I think.”
Support Adam by donating here.