Will you be watching this weekend’s London Marathon?
29 September 2022
Shereen, Sally, Kristal and Sharon ready for their marathon challenge.
“Those who know me, know that when I say I’ll do something, I will do it,” says former West Midlands Police officer Sharon Johnson, who is just days away from running her first ever full marathon in honour of her terminally ill husband, Chris.
Sharon will be running the 26-mile event this Sunday (2 October), along with three of her past co-workers, Kristal Taylor, Sally Duff and Shereen Ballintine.
Having spent the past four months tirelessly training, the team found their marathon-running plans thrown into turmoil when it was announced a train strike would be taking place across the weekend.
“When we heard the trains down to London had been cancelled over the marathon weekend, I put a plea out on Facebook, asking if, by any chance, anyone was travelling down and we could get a lift,” explained 51-year-old Sharon, whose husband and former Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Chris, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2018. He worked up until 2020, which is when his condition worsened and he was forced to retire.
“I couldn’t believe it, so many people, some of whom I haven’t spoken to in years, came back to me within hours, offering us a lift.”
Fortunately, a fellow fundraiser, who is also raising money for Primrose Hospice, the charity Sharon is running for, had a couple of spare seats for the trip down to London.
But, it was former West Midlands Detective Inspector and a close friend of the family, Cate Webb-Jones, who came to the rescue, saving Sharon the job of driving home after the 26-mile challenge.
“Cate called me and said she would drive down and try to watch us, before driving us back again. How amazing is that? She’s driving down to London, especially to bring us back,” added Sharon, who has two children with Chris.
Sharon says that although she knows Sunday’s run will hurt, she is taking every step in honour of Chris.
She continued: “Anyone that knows Chris will know he’ll tell me at the end how proud of me he is. And to be honest, I think he’s fed up with me mentioning the marathon now. I probably talk about it three or four times a day.
“I’m extremely nervous about running, and am feeling a mix of emotions to be honest. We’ve trained so hard for Sunday, and dragged ourselves out to run in all sorts of weather. I know we’re all as ready as we’ll ever be.”
Shining even more of a light on Sharon’s inspirational story is the BBC, who contacted her and asked if they could share her experience as part of this weekend’s coverage.
“Basically, at some point on BBC1 or BBC2, there will be around two-and-half-minutes showing pictures of me, the girls, Chris and Primrose Hospice, paired with a voiceover of me telling my story,” explained Sharon.
“This is huge for Primrose Hospice and I’m so happy that I’m able to help get their name out there, to the nation. It will mean so much for them.”
So far, Sharon and the team have raised more than £8,500 for Primrose Hospice, a local charity which provides vital support to people living with life-limiting illnesses, as well as their families.
Sharon said: “It’s been unbelievable really. We’ve had donations from family, friends, old colleagues and even Charlotte Hawkins, from Good Morning Britain, has donated, as well as our local MP Sajid Javid.”
This will be the furthest distance Sharon has run for charity, following her fundraising efforts last year, which saw more than 300 officers as well as their families and friends take part in the Rock n Roll Liverpool Marathon and Half Marathon as part of team #WMPMND. To date, Sharon and her colleagues have raised over £60,000 for the MND Association and Primrose Hospice.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” added Sharon. “But I’m looking forward to having a week of complete chill after the marathon is over. I’ve got a bag of Epsom salts ready for a long bath soak, and our hot tub will be waiting for me.”
Donate to the team's JustGiving page.
