Shrimps announcer to take on London Marathon

In just over a week’s time Mark Swindlehurst will be amongst the large crowd of runners taking part in the Virgin Money London Marathon.

The 47-year-old will be heading to the capital on Sunday April 23 to run in the annual 26-mile race, raising funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“It’s hard to believe that two years ago I was a couch potato and now I’m getting ready to run the London Marathon,” said the dad-of-five who lives in Heysham.

“I’m wearing my t-shirt with the Alzheimer’s charity logo and I’ve got my Shrimps badge on so I will also be representing Morecambe.

“When I first said I would do it I was really worried but now I feel like I’ve got a really good chance of completing it.”

Mark, who works at Wickes DIY store in Chorley, is hoping to raise £5,000 for the store’s chosen charity.

“It is scary, 550,000 people in the UK suffer from dementia, it is predicted by 2025 there will be a million, it is on the rise because people are living longer,” said Mark.

“It is just horrible, not only for the people who are going through it but their loved ones as well.”

More than £900 was raised for the charity at a family night at The Globe Arena on Sunday.

Mark organised the evening, which featured 
bingo, stand-up comedy, music and a raffle. He first got the bug for running in January 2015, when he took part in a race with his wife and friends for St John’s Hospice in Lancaster.

Mark is hoping to complete the London marathon in under eight hours.

Throughout November last year, Mark and his colleague Colin Contini ran the equivalent of 10 marathons between them and raised an incredible £18,000 for the charity.

All the funds donated to Mark will be added to the total raised by Wickes, as the company has been supporting since the middle of last year and has already banked £400,000.