Banbury woman runs virtual London Marathon around Banbury parks to help Age UK Oxfordshire charity

On Sunday October 4 Susanna Jeffery completed the 26.2-mile 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon in Banbury as due to coronavirus restrictions, the marathon could not take place in London this year.

Susanna said: "My chosen charity is Age UK Oxfordshire as I see the good work it does. I have volunteered in Banbury as a 'Phone Friend', and have seen the benefit a simple phone call can have to older, more isolated people.

"My late grandpa enjoyed weekly visits for some years from a friendly Age UK volunteer and always spoke so highly of the organisation. So Age UK was the obvious choice for my fundraising efforts."

She raised nearly £100 towards her £300 pound target to help the Age UK Oxfordshire charity. Anyone who would like to make a contribution can use the following web link: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=SusannaJeffery&pageUrl=1

Susanna added: "On the marathon day itself I was still recovering from a heavy cold and sniffles from earlier in the week so decided to take it easy and run round the neighbourhood parks in Banbury and walk the rest of the route.

"The parks looked beautiful, with autumnal colours, and I ran part of the Oxford Canal tow path, passing pretty narrow boats and well-wishers.

"There were light rain showers throughout the day; I was fortunate not to have the heavy rain that fell the previous evening. However, the ground was sodden, especially at the edges of the parks where I was running, and I almost (but not quite) slipped in the mud. Later in the day, there was some blue sky and the sunshine made Spiceball Park look even better.

"It was a unique experience running the 'London Marathon' remotely and, despite not having the crowds and supporters, having the app cheer me on and give an inspirational story at every mile marker certainly spurred me on to finish the race."