Among the thousands of runners taking part in this year’s London Marathon (23 April) will be nine animal lovers supporting international equine welfare charity Brooke.
Two of the runners have shared why they’re representing this good cause, including Bingham-based Sylv Hull (pictured below), a member of Grantham Running Club and lifelong horse lover. After losing her own horse in 2018, Sylv wanted to tie running with her passion for animal welfare.
“Like most runners, the London Marathon is something special to tick off the bucket list but the knowledge that I’m running for such a worthy cause adds a profound dimension to my training,” she said. “All the early starts and rainy long runs are for something meaningful and the fact that friends and family have sponsored me spurs me on.
“Not only does [Brooke] provide direct help to working donkeys, horses and mules to alleviate their suffering, their work reaches beyond this through education and lobbying to ensure the ongoing improvement of these animal’s welfare.”
Sylv has already raised more than £1,600 to support Brooke. You can sponsor her here.
Also representing Brooke is Rebecca Walker (pictured top and above) from Hanham in Bristol, who will take on her sixth London Marathon this April.
Rebecca has already raised over £2,000 to support the charity, having also fundraised for the good cause in last year’s London Marathon.
“I am running for Brooke again because having grown up with horses my whole life, I want to help these beautiful working animals along with donkeys and mules around the world,” she said. “I love raising money knowing it will change their lives for the better.”
Rebecca believes that “anything is possible in life if you want it badly enough and this is the mentality I have used in all of my marathons.”
Rebecca has represented the RAF in distance running and competed in the 2022 Sri Lanka Ultra X 250km race, where she claimed fifth place and qualified for the Ultra X World Championships in Slovenia. Rebecca has also competed in the Edinburgh Marathon and other local marathon races.
If you’re running the marathon for an equestrian cause, we’d love to hear from you! Please email rachaelmaryturnerhook@gmail.com
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