Meet some amazing people running the London Marathon for our charity
Every year people choose to run the TCS London Marathon for our charity, to raise money to help reach our goal of making communities safer, everywhere.
Read about some of our runners taking part in this year’s London Marathon, happening on Sunday 21 April.
Tia - For 25 years, my career has been dedicated to combating fraud and financial crime. Running, a passion of mine during downtime, beckoned me to consider tackling a marathon. My drive to run for Crimestoppers stems from a desire to aid victims of crime. As a victim of fraud myself (though thankfully without financial loss), I understand the importance of vigilance. ‘Vigilance and due diligence’ is my mantra. I want to empower others to be the same. By fundraising for Crimestoppers and participating in the London Marathon, I hope to raise awareness and contribute to a cause close to my heart. Allison, the Crimestoppers events co-ordinator has been amazing in getting me to this point and encouraging my journey to fundraise for Crimestoppers. This is my first marathon of hopefully many more to come. Each stride I take is a step towards a safer future for many people.
Tia’s Just giving page.
Sean - I decided that I wanted to try and run a marathon to get fit. I looked at running for a charity and as I am a retired police officer, I chose Crimestoppers. Allison the Crimestoppers events co-ordinator has been immensely supportive, from my initial application right through to the end of my training programme. During my service as a police officer, I became very aware of the fantastic work Crimestoppers does, but I never realised it was a registered charity. Like everyone else who is a non-runner, I found my training very difficult, but I stuck to an excellent recommended beginners training programme. I have gone from not being able to run more than 3 miles to my longest training run, which was 22.2 miles, with relative ease. One bonus is I’ve lost two and a half stone in a relatively short time, (the training programme is 16 weeks). All of us are affected by crime in one way or another and I am delighted to be able to raise funds for this very deserving charity.
Jo - I was a keen runner at school, but exercise took a back seat as I focused on work, family and renovating our forever family home. With miles of coastal paths on my doorstep, I put my running shoes back on a few years ago. I have taken part in local 10kms races and half marathons which I have really enjoyed. I turned 50 in December and decided to challenge myself to reach a few new personal goals. I have watched the London Marathon on TV over the years and often wondered how it would feel to cross the finish line in one of the world’s most famous marathons, and I started to look for a charity place. Crimestoppers really appealed to me, not only for work they do to enable members of the public to report crimes anonymously, but also for the whistleblowing, integrity and Speak Up lines they provide for organisations. Having worked in the NHS and a school, I appreciate that these are vital resources for people who feel they have no one else to turn to. Training through the Winter weather has been tough, especially fitting it around my full-time work. The alarm goes at 5.45am so I can run before work. However I have enjoyed seeing my progress, and feel that I have become more resilient mentally, although some might say stubborn! Allison from Crimestoppers has been hugely supportive, sharing advice and information. To help with my fundraising, Crimestoppers have offered a virtual presentation to my colleagues and students about their Fearless, Crimestoppers youth service, which will focus on the fear of being labelled a ‘snitch’, as a barrier to giving crime information anonymously, and the ‘Bystander approach’, which encourages action to prevent harm. I am looking forward to 21 April and in particular getting over the finish line!
If you’re interested in running the 2025 London Marathon and fundraising for Crimestoppers, please fill in our application form.