Congratulations to the nifty fifty
Shooting Star celebrates London Marathon success

Shooting Star is set to raise £70,000 after its star runners completed the London Marathon on Sunday. The fifty runners, the highest number of representatives Shooting Star has ever had at the London Marathon, took on the famous road race to raise vital funds for children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

The runners were cheered on by two groups of Shooting Star volunteers located at the half way point and at Embankment, just over a mile from the finish line.

After the event, Shooting Star held a celebratory reception for runners and families at Central Hall in Westminster, where they enjoyed food, refreshment and a well-earned massage.

Shooting Star’s first runner to finish was Alastair Gibbons in 3 hours 13 minutes, followed by Andy Humpries in 3 hours 26 minutes, and then former Great Britain runner Dave Clarke, his wife Fran and Andrew Scheer, who all clocked 3 hours 30 minutes.

Paul Joyce completed the Marathon just two weeks after raising funds for Shooting Star by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. ‘Ten days ago I thought climbing Kilimanjaro would be harder but right now it feels like the Marathon,’ said Paul. ‘At one point during the race I didn’t think I could make it and the last two miles were the hardest of my life. If it wasn’t for the support of the Shooting Star guys on the Embankment I’m not entirely sure I would have made it. I’m so pleased to have finished because Shooting Star is, without doubt, the most deserving of causes. Considering what the children and families have to deal with in life, they deserve me to run around the course twice.’
 
Karen Peffer, Shooting Star’s Challenge Events Fundraiser said the charity was extremely proud of what the runners have achieved. ‘Our team of fifty runners were amazing, especially in the hot conditions, and we are immensely proud of them. Their commitment in the last few months and on the day itself has been inspirational and we feel privileged they chose to support us. A huge “thank you” must also go to our wonderful crew of dedicated volunteers, who came along to support the team. They were cheering all day and the encouragement was greatly appreciated by the runners and their families.

Dalton Leong, Chief Executive at Shooting Star, said the money raised will help the charity continue providing quality care, support and advice to families. ‘£70,000 is an incredible amount of money and on behalf of all our children and families, I want to say a huge thank you to all our Marathon runners. The money will help pay for two nurses for a whole year, so what they’ve achieved is quite tremendous.’