For many, Sunday is the one day of the week where we like to take the opportunity to rest and relax. On Sunday 24th April, Brodie Cullinan will not be resting or relaxing; he’ll be one of 38,000 runners who are expected to complete this year’s London Marathon on behalf of Myton.
Although Brodie ran the Coventry Half Marathon last year, raising over £1,500 for The Myton Hospices, taking on a full marathon is a completely new experience for him. Brodie has always had ambitions to complete a marathon.
Brodie wanted to take on a challenge event to raise money for Myton because Myton means a lot to him personally:“In 2013 my Dad, Sean Cullinan, was diagnosed with terminal cancer which came as a shock to the whole family. After a year of ups and downs his health deteriorated and he ended up in hospital which put a strain on him and all of the family. Once he moved to Myton everything changed. My Mum, me and my four siblings were able to visit him whenever we wanted for however long we wanted in a private room. It might not sound like a lot but it meant a lot at a tough time for all of us. To add to that, the nurses and the volunteers were fantastic and really helped the situation. ”
Although you would expect a rigorous training programme for someone taking on the London Marathon, Brodie has had to juggle training and playing for his football team whilst also training for the marathon.Despite his commitments to football, Brodie tries to train twice a week- one short, light run and one long, slow run. Brodie adds, ‘The long runs have been a real challenge as going out in the wet and cold after 9 or 10 hours at work to run up to 18 miles isn’t the most attractive proposition.’
When asked what keeps him motivated throughout training, Brodie said, “Ultimately, my own sense of competitiveness. This may be the only marathon I ever run so I’m really keen to run under 4 hours. Being slightly behind where I want to be on my training means this is going to be tough to achieve but hopefully on the day I’ll have enough energy to achieve my target. Obviously another big factor in my motivation is the money I’ve been raising for Myton. Friends and family have been putting their hands in their pockets to sponsor me so the pressure is on to get around the course and get that medal!”
So what does Brodie expect on the day? “The hour before I start, I imagine the nerves and adrenaline will take over a little bit. Once I get started I think I’ll really enjoy the run and the atmosphere around London which I’ve heard is really good. Most of all I’m looking forward to crossing that finish line and knowing I won’t be getting my running trainers on again for a couple of months!”
If you wish to sponsor Brodie and help him reach his target you can do so by clicking here
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