A Brixton man is running the London Marathon to fulfil a 17-year-old promise he made to a school friend whose mum died of cervical cancer.
George Stephen hopes to raise £6,000 for Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, a charity set up in honour of Jo Maxwell after she died in 1999.
After her death, George told her son Tom that he would one day run the marathon to help the charity and on Sunday he will finally make good on his word.
George said: “Having promised Tom when we were 11 that I would one day run the marathon for Jo’s, I am very proud to be fulfilling that promise this year.
“It’s a cause that means a huge amount to me as I have grown up with Tom and his siblings and there is no other cause I would run for.”
Tom said he was delighted by his friend’s determination.
“It is particularly special to have George running in the marathon for Jo’s because he is someone who has been there for me since the beginning,” he said.
“He and I were at school together from 11 to 18, and so he knew Mum and Dad, and he and his family have been huge supporters of Jo’s ever since my Dad set it up.”
George said his training has been interrupted through injury but hopes the support of Tom’s family will help him get round in one piece.
He said: “All the Maxwell’s have been very supportive through the training and I’m looking forward to seeing them in the crowd on the day – I’ll be thinking of them during the hard miles!”
You can sponsor George here.
