In April, friends Simon Atkins and Simon Coomber took on the TCS London Marathon, raising an incredible £16,000 for St Wilfrid’s. They were supported by their friend Julie Whiting from The Thoroughbred Inn in Polegate, who took charge of the fundraising.

Simon A and Simon C were neighbours who became good friends. They had always talked about doing a marathon together, so applied for the 2026 TCS London Marathon, with the intention of raising money for St Wilfrid’s.

We’d provided palliative care for Simon C’s dad after he was diagnosed with cancer and died at the hospice in 2022. Simon A’s mum died in another hospice, so the pair say they have both experienced the difference hospices make, and are acutely aware of the funding challenges we are facing. They also have a friend Tom, who is currently receiving care from St Wilfrid’s.

When the ballot results were announced, Simon C got a place, but Simon A didn’t. Simon C suggested Simon A apply for a St Wilfrid’s marathon charity place, so he contacted our Fundraising Team to find out more. After a screening exercise and interview, he was successful.

When the chaps shared the news with their friend Julie that they were running for St Wilfrid’s, she agreed the hospice could be the pub’s nominated charity, and said if they concentrated on the running, she would sort out the fundraising.

Simon A and Simon C said whilst they set out to run the marathon together, it was very difficult to train together as Simon C moved to Spain a few years ago and Simon A lives in Polegate. They were also at different fitness levels as Simon C has run two marathons before and is in the gym every day, but Simon A said he is the opposite and had never even attempted a long run before.

In March, Simon C flew back to the UK so they could run the Eastbourne Half Marathon together and work on finding a comfortable pace which suited both of them.

A few weeks later was the big day. Simon A and Simon C describe the TCS London Marathon atmosphere as incredible, and hearing people cheering the whole 26.2 miles helped to drag them round. There was also an app so people could track them, and when they got to Tower Bridge, they had huge screens displaying messages of support, including one from The Thoroughbred Inn customers, which gave them a real boost.

By that point, Simon A had started to feel some discomfort in his right foot and had a huge blister. He told Simon C to leave him and go on, but he wouldn’t and they crossed the finish line together.

Exhausted, they limped their way back to the train station, and went straight to The Thoroughbred where a crowd was waiting for them.

The total sponsorship raised was £16,000 but Simon A and Simon C credit Julie and her team with raising nearly £12,000 of that. She ran sweepstakes, coffee mornings and raffles, and persuaded local bands to play at the pub for free.

Simon A and Simon C said they couldn’t have done it without Julie’s support and feel she played an equal part in their challenge. A few of Julie’s customers are using the services of St Wilfrid’s at the moment and she said it’s been amazing listening to everybody’s stories because a lot of people have been touched by the hospice.

Simon A and Simon C said they would recommend others run the TCS London Marathon for St Wilfrid’s, and offered some top tips:

• Start early with your training and don’t overdo it. They followed a structured training program. They said it is hard work and a mind game, but you can overcome that.
• Get out there early with your fundraising. Get your story onto a platform and use social media to push it.
• Keep reminding people about your cause and give regular updates on your training.
• Don’t try and do it all yourself. If you’ve got a community around you – like Julie – amazing things can happen.

If you were lucky enough to get a ballot place in the 2027 Double TCS London Marathon, we would love to have you on Team Wilf.

Click here or contact the Fundraising Team on 01323 434241 or email fundraising@stwhospice.org

Pictured: Simon A and Simon C before and after the marathon; with their friends and family at The Thoroughbred Inn