Keen sportsman Jamie Groves tackled his first marathon in April to raise funds for bereaved families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jamie, who is Acting Regional Development Director for Greater London \u2013 South, has raised more than \u00a31,500 for the charity Child Bereavement UK \u2013 almost three times his original target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jamie completed the 26.2-mile Brighton Marathon in 5 hours 52 minutes and found the going tough. \u201cMy training should have been a whole lot better than it was! After mile 15 I did begin to struggle as I picked up a few injuries, but I wasn\u2019t going to give up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jamie explained why he chose to support Child Bereavement UK: \u201cWhen I was a young teenager, I lost a cousin who was still a child. Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things anyone has to go through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeeing bereaved families on a daily basis, I have witnessed on many occasions their stress and uncertainty. Completing a marathon is nothing compared with what someone goes through when they lose someone close to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a former semi-professional footballer who now plays at amateur level, Jamie runs as part of his training and had tackled shorter distances and ten-mile runs. Jamie added: \u201cI had always wanted to take part in a marathon and chose my home town as I am familiar with the route! I\u2019m grateful to all the people who supported me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n