TWO members of staff at Gobowen’s Orthopaedic Hospital have entered their final months of preparation for this year’s London Marathon.

Performance manager Mark Lowe and admissions team leader Karl Bailey are currently hard at work training for the 26-mile race around the capital which is taking place on Sunday, April 26.

The 2020 RJAH London Marathon team will be raising money for the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt (RJAH) Charity which funds state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to help provide extra comfort for patients and support staff.

In total, 17 people will be running around the streets of London on behalf of the hospital, with the group likely to raise more than £25,000 for RJAH.

This will be Mark’s first marathon after he successfully completed the Couch to 5k programme last April.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to taking part in the London Marathon and supporting RJAH – it’s not only my workplace, but also many loved ones have had treatment here over the years.

“To help with my training I have an 18-mile run and a few 10K runs in the pipeline for the coming months.

“I’ve also passed the £1,000 mark for my fundraising. I recently visited the Darwin Group, who are also my sponsor, where I spent the day as a brew butler, serving hot drinks and cakes, where I raised £545.”

To take part in the London Marathon, runners pledge to raise at least £1,500 for the RJAH Charity.

Karl, who has run one marathon before, is aiming to cross the finish line in under four hours.

“I’m excited to be taking part in the London Marathon and running past the iconic landmarks in the capital,” he said.

“I completed the Chester Marathon a few years back, and crossed the finish line in three hours and 43 minutes – I’m secretly wishing to beat that time, but I will be happy with anything under four hours.

“I had a very generous donation to my fundraising from an ex-football team, which gave me a massive boost, so I’m about a third into my fundraising target now. I also have a charity race night and quiz night planned for the next couple of months.”

If you would like to support Mark or Karl, you can do so via their JustGiving pages at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Mark-J-Lowe and www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Karl-Bailey-LondonMarathon

If you’re interested in taking part in the Virgin Money London Marathon for RJAH, visit www.rjah.nhs.uk/marathon