Full marks for London Marathon pair

Full marks for London Marathon pair

26 April 2017

TEACHERS Gemma Barr and Mary Enright-Gillies completed last Sunday’s London Marathon in aid of Asthma UK.

Gemma (39) is from Crossgar, while Mary (41) is from Downpatrick, and both were delighted to cross the finishing line after completing the challenging 26.2 mile circuit.

Gemma has had asthma since she was a child while Mary’s 14 year-old daughter Molly also has asthma. The local teachers have both always wanted to run a marathon and took on the challenge to raise awareness of the condition and show to others that asthma doesn’t have to hold you back.  

“The London Marathon is a once in a lifetime event and I feel so privileged to have completed it as part of Team Asthma UK,” said a delighted Gemma.

“The training has been tough, but seeing all my friends and family cheering me across the finish line has made it all worthwhile.”

Mary described running the London Marathon as a “truly amazing experience” and said she was honoured to have been able to raise money and awareness for Asthma UK.

“There were times along the way when I thought I might not make it, but thinking of all the amazing work the charity does really spurred me on to cross the finish line,” she added.

Louise Thomas, Asthma UK’s head of events and community fundraising, thanked Gemma and Mary and all of the charity’s runners for their hard work and dedication in taking on this challenge. “We are largely funded by public donations, so it’s thanks to all of our generous fundraisers that Asthma UK is able to continue its vital work,” she said.

Asthma UK is the leading asthma charity for the 1 in 11 people living with asthma in the UK. Every 10 seconds someone has a potentially life-threatening asthma attack and three people die every day. 

Tragically, two thirds of these deaths could be prevented which is why Asthma UK continues to fund world-leading research to find better treatments and ultimately, a cure for asthma.