Appleton teacher to take on London marathon for charity

Matthew Hennessey is a teacher at Broomfields Junior School, and will be running the 26.2-mile course to fundraise for Children with Cancer.

Matthew chose the charity because 'they are a charity that does incredible work and they have many inspirational stories to share.'

Matthew's school - Broomfields Junior School - is getting behind him and cheering him on (Image: Matthew Hennessey)

The schoolteacher has been training for the marathon for more than five months now, and has clocked up over 70 hours of training in that time.

Matthew has raised more than £1,900 for the charity already, and still has a week of fundraising to go.

The pupils at Broomfields are getting behind Mr Hennessey, and on Monday, September 26, the school held a 'mini marathon' where the children ran - collectively - over 150 miles.

When asked what the hardest part of preparing for the marathon is, Matthew said: "The weekly long runs have been incredibly hard and they have been a mental battle as it can be lonely running for over three hours by yourself.

"It has also been difficult to train while working full time as it is physically exhausting."

𝙄𝙏'𝙎 𝙈𝘼𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙃𝙊𝙉 𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙆 🏃‍♀️

You've put in the hard, lonely hours at the break of dawn and late at night. After all of the training miles, the blood, sweat and the tears it's nearly time for your victory lap. So let's run it together. ✊#LondonMarathon #WeRunTogether pic.twitter.com/rtU2r2uZJB

— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) September 26, 2022

Having said that, he also encourages anyone considering a marathon to sign up.

He said: "Do it!

"It is a very difficult challenge and it is something that you don't think you can ever do while you're training.

"But throughout the training I've been feeling healthier, fitter and am looking forward to keeping it up."

For more information on Matthew's fundraiser, or to donate, visit his JustGiving page here.