London 2022 Marathon: Jasdeep Raja (QM 1997-2004)

London 2022 Marathon Story

I recently became a father to a baby boy and I adore him more than anything in the world. He has completely changed my outlook on life. I would move heaven and earth to ensure he has the best upbringing, but I appreciate there are many children in this world who are less fortunate.

An opportunity arose via my work to run the London Marathon for Starfish Greathearts, a fantastic charity which aims to benefit children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

I thought to myself, what better way to raise money for an incredible charity than putting myself through the most difficult event a person can do.

The 16 week training plan was gruelling, with weekly 5am starts for longer distance runs (which were at least 2 hours long).

Raceday was phenomenal, the atmosphere was truly out of this world and the cheering and encouragement from the spectators helped me and my fellow 40,000 runners get through the 26.2 miles on the day.

I was able to complete the marathon in a 4-hour handle and raise over £2k for Starfish Charity.

Onto the next marathon!

Jasdeep Raja