THE London marathon is back at the end of April and two of Aberystwyth Athletic Club’s stalwarts will be tackling the event, both hoping for personal success on the course while also raising money for their individual charities.
Rachel Richards and Martin Tranter both agree that they are about to face their biggest journey yet, and that running is not something that comes naturally to either of them.
For Rachel, the challenge of completing the marathon is a significant one as she explains: “I struggle massively with the impact of living with continuous pain and fatigue, amongst other symptoms, from an auto-immune condition, and any activity of this level takes a huge toll on me mentally and physically and has to be managed carefully.”
Martin has recently qualified as a coach with Aberystwyth Athletics Club but admits that running this kind of distance will be quite a challenge.
“To put it into context, I am 49 years old, currently approximately 20 stone with a background of being a front row forward in rugby union, so not what you’d call a natural runner.
“I was fortunate enough to secure a place in the marathon through the club ballot so look forward to representing Aber AC, along with Rachel at the iconic event.”
Both of them have always proven that focus and determination carries them through to succeeding in all challenges undertaken so far.
And it’s not just about the personal challenge, they are also importantly raising money for some worthwhile charities.
Rachel has chosen MENCAP as it is a charity close to her heart: “Having family members with disabilities within the family, I have a real understanding of the barriers facing young people with disabilities – from education and healthcare, through to independent living and employment.
“I also work for a funding organisation that supports charitable organisations and see firsthand the struggle that they have in securing funds for their vital work.”
Martin is currently the President of Ardal Aberystwyth Rotary Club and has committed to undertake this race as a personal ‘President’s Challenge’ to raise funds for local and national charities.
Martin outlined their preparations for the marathon: “Training for this marathon has been a challenging yet rewarding journey.
“We have been training hard, three or four times a week, sometimes more, since November.
“We have by now pushed ourselves to reach 20.5 miles in one effort – twice and by the time we’ve completed the marathon, we will have run over 500 miles and spent over 130 hours training!”
The race is now fast approaching so the nerves are staring to creep in says Rachel: “We’re excited about taking part in the London Marathon which has been a lifelong ambition of ours, and also very nervous about being able to complete it.
“We are however proud of the funds we’re raising for our chosen charities and hope that will drive us on in London amongst the tens of thousands of runners.
“I’m also looking forward to getting it done and not aching every time I try to walk upstairs!”
You can support Rachel and Martin’s charities by following the below links.