"It's absolutely horrible and then you remember why you're doing it": Essex couple run London marathon
Cat Googe, Westcliff-on-Sea, has pledged to run a marathon every year in her fiftieth decade
A woman from Essex is running the London marathon in aid of a friend who had a seizure whilst swimming.
Cat Googe is running alongside her husband on Sunday 26 April and raising money for Brain Cancer Research UK.
The 53-year-old of Westcliff-on-Sea has pledged to run a marathon every year in her fiftieth decade.
"Running London is such a privilege. It is going to be my third marathon and I never thought I'd even run one, let alone three. I ran my first one in 2023, age 50, and it was London because I just thought if I'm going to run one, it's going to be London.
Cat tells Greatest Hits Radio she was "called to run" for Brain Cancer Research UK after her "very, very dear friend" had a seizure whilst taking part in the Great North Swim.
"Fortunately, the emergency services were absolutely exceptional. They saved her life, got her out of the lake and into intensive care and she had a very long battle in hospitals and rehab for seven months.
"She finally came home in January. She's an absolute miracle: walking, talking, and can now see.
"But she's still got a long way to go."
Cat is an "Empowerment Coach & Joy Queen", helping people identify energy drains and clear unhelpful patterns through her "unique blend of laughter yoga, reiki and NLP".
She tells us she doesn't run because she finds it easy, she runs because she loves doing it:
"It's just so life affirming. And when we kind of push ourselves out of our comfort zone and try and do things that feel like a stretch, you know, we witness it happening in other areas of our lives.
Another runner from Essex is taking part in memory of a boy who was stabbed to death outside a pub in Writtle in 2020.
Liam Taylor was stabbed to death outside a pub in Writtle, near Chelmsford, on 31 January 2020.
Gareth Carey, from North Springfield in Chelmsford, is running his 9th marathon in four years for the Liam Taylor Legacy.
Founded by Liam's Grandmother Julie Taylor, the charity aims to raise awareness within schools and colleges throughout the South of England of the risks, dangers and impact of knife crime.
Gareth tells us: "My wife, Grace, is really good friends with Liams Mum, Chelsea.
"What Chelsea and her Mum, Julie, do, going out and raising awareness about knife crime is incredible: schools, police forces, and prisons - they're amazing and that's why I want to raise the money.
"Picking up a knife is not the solution for anyone. They also donate bleed kits for businesses all around Essex. They've saved four or five lives in Chelmsford alone.
Gareth says he was always a keen runner at school and started getting back into it during the pandemic.
"As Covid restrictions started lifting I ended up running the marathon distance one weekend.
"I now find it so good for my mental health and handling stress.
You can donate to Gareth's cause here.
This year's London marathon is the 45th anniversary and aims to break the world record for the most finishers in a marathon, with more than 56,000 people expected to run.