The Flora London Marathon is one of the UK’s most breathtaking fundraising events and this year 200 people ran as part of Team RNLI. Their combined and considerable efforts raised approximately £300,000, most of which will go towards crew training.

Father and son team Stewart and Murray Barnett, bakers from Anstruther, both completed the race within 5 hours. Murray, at just 18 one of the youngest competitors, says: ‘I wanted to run for the RNLI as I have grown up watching the lifeboat going out helping and saving the lives of many people who have got into trouble in lots of different ways.’

Surrey student Jennifer Manby, also 18, had a fi rst-hand reason to run for the RNLI: ‘When I was 14, I was out with my school sailing off Chichester harbour. The wind really picked up, many of us were capsized and we had to call the lifeboat. I managed to right my boat but some of my friends were taken aboard – we were all really grateful to see that orange boat come to our aid.’ Jennifer’s marathon achievement is made even more remarkable by the fact that she has recovered from a serious back injury.

RNLI Divisional Inspector for the south of England Simon Pryce remembers: ‘The last 4 miles were absolute hell but I thought about the amazing volunteers who run our lifeboat stations and who will benefi t from this challenge. I know they’ll enjoy the thought of me in pain!’The RNLI Events team is always on the look out for runners to take part in various events. They are now planning this Christmas’s Reindeer runs and Santa saunters, which are planned for Dorset, Merseyside, Hertfordshire, Port Talbot and central Scotland. Visit rnli.org.uk/reindeer for information.