Berkshire sisters run in honour of their brother
Vanessa and Jenny will run after the sudden loss of their brother who had already entered the race
Two sisters from Berkshire have vowed to complete the world's biggest half marathon in tribute to their brother who died just days after urging them to run the event alongside him.
Mark Herbert, 49, a scaffolder from Reading had signed up for the Great North Run and had texted his sister Vanessa, 44, to ask her and their other sister Jenny, 39, to enter it with him.
But that same week in October 2024, Mark died suddenly from a heart attack caused by undiagnosed coronary heart disease. It is a condition where the heart's blood supply is reduced or blocked.
The sisters who also live in Reading have decided to raise funds in aid of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to help fund research that will prevent other families from losing a loved one from cardiovascular disease.
Honouring
Jenny, who works as a psychotherapist in Newbury, said: “We just knew we had to do this for Mark. He wanted us to do it together. We can’t do it with him, but we can do if for him. We all ran together before in 10ks, so running for Mark and the BHF in the event he had hoped to do, seems like a really fitting way of honouring him and feeling close to him.
“Mark was a keen athlete, with a natural flare for any sport he tried. He loved to run. While at school he competed to club level running for Berkshire and continued this in adulthood. He got accepted into the London marathon successfully finishing in 3 hours 40 min, with very little training.
“Mark was a scaffolder by trade, which probably aided his supreme fitness. Strong as an ox, and uniquely skilled at most trades, we thought he was superhuman. Sadly whilst he seemed fit and healthy on the outside, unbeknown to him, he was suffering from a heart condition.
“He loved life and would throw himself into things. He’d done the Great North Run before and was determined to do it again, as it’s one of the great half marathons and he loved the fantastic atmosphere along the route.
“Our elder brother Paul will be there to support us and honour Mark. It will be an emotional day, but nice to compete and raise money for a truly worthy cause helping others with Mark’s heart condition”.
Jenny and Vanessa will be joining 1,000 other BHF runners on September 7 in the 13.1 mile event that is expected to attract 80,000 participants from across the world.
Karen McDonnell, from the British Heart Foundation said: “It’s fantastic to see Jenny and Vanessa’s courage and determination to honour Mark and to help us fund lifesaving research. Without the dedication of our team of BHF runners and the commitment of people like Jenny and Vanessa we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has already broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK.
You can support Jenny and Vanessa here