Milton Keynes woman crosses the finish line at the Virgin Money London Marathon for the British Heart Foundation

A Milton Keynes woman was among 400 British Heart Foundation runners took to the streets of London yesterday for the Virgin Money London Marathon, in a united front against heart disease.
Laura MeadowsLaura Meadows
Laura Meadows

The legendary event saw BHF 'Heart Runners' join more than 38,000 runners to pound 26.2 miles of the capital’s pavements and raise urgently needed funds for the charity’s heart research.

The event will help the BHF raise close to a million pounds, which will go towards helping us better understand how to prevent, diagnose and treat heart and circulatory disease, which currently affects around seven million people in the UK.

Amongst those running was Laura Meadows, 37, from Milton Keynes who raised an incredible £2,000. She took on the iconic challenge because her husband Phillip was born with a congenital heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. He underwent three major heart surgeries as a child and will most likely need surgery to replace a valve in the future, which means he still has to be monitored.

If preparation for the marathon wasn’t hard enough, 14 months ago, Laura gave birth to her first child and has had to combine training with looking after a baby.

Laura said after crossing the finish line: “Taking part in the London Marathon was a huge challenge and an incredible experience. The atmosphere on the day was brilliant and I am proud to have been part of the Heart Runners team for such an iconic event. Knowing I was running for a wonderful charity made me determined to succeed.

“It was fantastic to have everyone there cheering me on and to know that my sponsorship money will help the BHF raise funds for life saving research to bring new hope to the seven million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK.”

Karen McDonnell, events manager at the BHF, added: Without the dedication and commitment of people like Laura, we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK.

“The stories of why our amazing supporters take part never fail to amaze me and it was incredible to see Laura and around 400 others take on such a tough challenge and help us stop heart disease in its tracks.”

To find out more about the BHF’s challenge events, visit www.bhf.org.uk/events