A record number of St Luke’s runners
Lauren will be one of more than 60 runners who will be running for St Luke’s at Plymouth Britain’s Ocean City Running Festival later this month and for Lauren, she wants to repay the kindness and support her family received so that another family may receive the same.
“We are an ordinary family, and it’s not until you find yourselves in uncharted waters that you realise what local charitable organisations are available to provide the help and support when you need it the most. If it wasn’t for the people before me fundraising, the services wouldn’t have been there for us.
“Now it’s my chance to say thank you and hopefully raise some funds to enable these vital services to be there for the next families when the time comes.”
Running in memory of mum
The idea to take on the race came to Lauren as it was something that would push her out of her comfort zone and be the perfect challenge in memory of her mum.
“I am not a natural runner, but my mum always believed that those things worth having, do not come easily. So with that in mind, the application form was completed and the training started. With only just completing the couch to 5k at the end of last year, this was going to be a huge physical task for me.”
For Lauren though, it is her mum’s memory that has pushed her on every training run, spurring her on when it’s become tough.
“My mum has been with me on every training run and I know she will be with me on the day, come rain or shine. She is my inspiration, my reason why, she was and always will be my best friend, my rock, the person who knew me better than I knew myself and for that reason, I am running in memory of her, the bravest lady I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and it makes me smile, being able to talk of her, and her memory live on with events such as this.”