Meet Chloe,
running the London Marathon for Anthony Nolan!
I've only been running for about 6 years, and love signing up for races and giving myself something to work towards. In 2023 I ran the Loch Ness Marathon and loved every second of it. I have always loved watching the London Marathon even way before I started running so it has always been something I’ve wanted to be involved in. I’ve entered the ballot the last few years but never expected to actually get the opportunity to be part of it. So, I feel very lucky to be able to run it for Anthony Nolan.
I chose to support Anthony Nolan because it is a charity that means a lot to my friends and family. Thanks to this charity we were able to spend more years making memories with my wonderful friend Rosie. Not long after Rosie left school in 2013 and had started working towards a degree in Nursing she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This meant at the age of 18 her whole life was put on hold as she started intense treatment straight away. Rosie required a stem cell transplant and unfortunately none of her family were the correct match for her to receive their stem cells. So, thanks to Anthony Nolan they were able to match her with an amazing individual who gave her their stem cells. This allowed her to learn to drive, go on a girl’s holiday to Croatia, go to many concerts including the Spice Girls and spend loads of quality time with her family and friends. She was also able to give back herself to Anthony Nolan and held a quiz night at one of our local hotels which raised a great amount as well as encouraging those attending to join the register if they could.
Unfortunately, not long after this she was diagnosed again with ALL. The individual that donated the first time, donated their stem cells again; and again, gave us the greatest gift of more time with Rosie. However, this time around Rosie experienced complications and sadly in 2020 she passed away. She was never able to meet her donor, but she was so grateful that they were able to give her that donation not once but twice and all her family and friends are forever grateful for the extra time we had with her because of them.
Running for this cause is my way of saying thank you to the charity and Rosie’s donor for giving myself, her family and friends and anyone who was lucky enough to know Rosie more time with her. If I’m able to raise some money for the charity that's brilliant but more importantly if someone reading this or sees anything I've shared joins the stem cell register, then that's even better.
On training and motivation
Training for this marathon has definitely been harder than the last one due to the time of year it's held. The start of this year we had a lot of snow so even getting out the door was a struggle. When I do have a tough day, I just remind myself why I am running for Anthony Nolan and that I want to be able to run as much of this marathon as possible and if I miss a training run or cut my long runs short then running on the day will be another tougher be. On my long runs to keep me motivated the best way is to just put on some good tunes (Rosie was a big One Direction fan) and a good bag of sweeties.
Looking forward to the big day
I'm looking forward to meeting more of the runners running for Anthony Nolan. Due to being in the North East of Scotland I've not been able to attend any of the meets. I'm also excited to see what the atmosphere is like, most of my long runs are in quiet places where I only meet a couple of people along the way so it’s going to be very different. The main thing I’m nervous for is the heat on the day, I’m really not a fan of running in the heat and it’s not something we experience much of up North.
Chloe's role outside running
I have been an on-call Firefighter at Ellon Fire Station for 4 years now and, as I loved that role, just over a year ago I became a Trainee Whole Time Firefighter at Peterhead Fire Station. My Dad was an on-call Firefighter at Ellon for almost 30 years so it’s something that’s always been part of my life. My role has helped me with training for the marathon, as I need to keep fit as part of my job. The mindset that my job has given me will definitely help me when i feel like I’m struggling during the marathon.
What completing the London Marathon would mean
I'd be chuffed, all the training and hard work had paid off, and I’d succeeded in completing an iconic marathon for such an important cause. Running the London marathon is definitely a bucket list item and I’m excited I’ll have my family there to cheer me on and be part of it.