‘Emotional’ London Marathon For Armstrong Watson Colleagues Humbled By Event’s Supporters

The 2024 London Marathon was a rollercoaster of emotions for three Armstrong Watson colleagues who took part.

Lauren Graham, Barry Fitzsimmons and Alex Rose, were among 50,000 runners to take part in the famous 26.2 mile race around the capital and they were all blown away by the experience.

Lauren Graham (second right) with members of Carlisle's Millican Track Club

Lauren, a seasoned trail and long-distance runner who was running the London Marathon for the first time, said:
“It was the most incredible race I’ve ever done. The cheers from the crowds at Tower Bridge actually made me cry. It was a very emotional race. The support in the last 10k spurred me on to get under my target time of sub 3:10.

“I would recommend everyone to enter the ballot! It was hands down the best event I have been to with such a fantastic atmosphere. To be part of it and to be surrounded by such kindness and support was a real privilege.”

Audit and Assurance Director Lauren, of Carlisle, was lucky enough to secure her place through the ballot and is fundraising for Carlisle Youth Zone, where she is a trustee. She’s also set to take on Switzerland’s gruelling Eiger 50k trail run in July and hopes she can raise as much as possible to help the Youth Zone deliver the great things it has planned for 2024.

Barry was running his fourth London Marathon - his first for 31 years, having previously run it in 1989, 1991, and 1993 – in memory of his late brother-in-law Chris Hill, who died in June last year. He has raised more than £2,800 for WellChild, a charity that cares for seriously ill children and young people who require long-term and complex care. Chris worked for WellChild - Armstrong Watson’s charity of the month for March - and it’s a charity close to Barry’s heart as his daughter Mary was critically ill for the first 12 months of her life.

Barry Fitzsimmons

Commenting on the experience, Barry, a financial planning consultant at Armstrong Watson’s Kendal office, said:
“I was exhausted but humbled by the love and support shown. The atmosphere was incredible and the support from the crowd was unbelievable. Humanity and London at its absolute finest! It was like being part of a celebration like a World Cup final or Olympics.”

Barry’s Kendal colleague Alex was entered into the ballot by a good friend and was shocked to find he was the only one out of their group to get a place. He takes part in a lot of sports but before starting his training plan, Alex hadn’t run more than 10k.

Alex said:
“I felt ecstatic whilst completing the marathon. It was one of the best experiences of my life and something I would love to do again. Unfortunately, after some good running, I sustained an ankle injury at about 16 miles, which made the last 10 miles rather painful. The euphoria of the crowd and the adrenaline managed to carry me to the finish line and the support was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I hobbled over the line in a time of 5:29 and I am so proud of myself for finishing.

“Whilst I didn’t run for a charity, I was so motivated by the multiple stories I heard in the build-up about people doing it for such incredible causes. Running alongside people who were suffering for a greater cause almost brought me to tears at times, but I just about managed to hold it together.”

Alex, an accounting assistant, who is working towards his AAT Level 3, said the training also worked well as a stress relief and a break from exams.