Back in 2015, Rachael Goatman Thomas wasn’t feeling great about herself, so she decided to start running. She’d never run before, but she was determined to take part in the London Marathon.
“I joined Dursley Running Club to help me get fit, and the first time I ran, I managed a quarter of a mile and didn’t want to go any further,” she said. The experience didn’t put her off and a few months later, with ‘the gift of support and friendship’, she achieved her dream and ran the London Marathon.
Every single week since that first quarter of a mile, she’s pulled on her distinctive running leggings – she’s got more than 100 pairs – plugged in her earphones and kept on running at least a hundred miles a month: “When I’m running, all the negative thoughts just go out of my head and I feel a tremendous sense of achievement.”
Now aged 52, she’s decided to run two back-to-back marathons – that’s 54 miles – over 24 hours. She’ll run from Berkeley to Nibley and back twice on Saturday 2nd September, raising as much as she can for Longfield.
“It’s not about speed and time pressures – I don’t agree with that as it just leads to injuries,” she says. “It’s about stamina and fitness and even then, I really believe that getting up, getting out and getting to the finish line is 90 per cent mental attitude and 10 per cent fitness.
“I’ll be thinking of everything Longfield does for terminally ill people – they’re amazing. If I have to crawl or drag myself to the end I’ll do it. I’m Longfield all the way!”
To donate click here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rachael
