Sarah Mulligan is a Healthcare Assistant at Limetree Care Home in Streatham and recently achieved her lifetime dream of completing the London Marathon.
As a teenager, Sarah and her brother Ben would help out at the water station at the 6-mile mark along the route. She would always enjoy this day and said the atmosphere was amazing! It was at this same 6-mile water mark that Sarah and Ben made a pact that one day, they would both run the London marathon.
This pact stuck with them and every year from the age of 18, Sarah and her brother would both apply for the marathon. Each year they didn’t make the ballot but tried and tried again to see if one year they would be lucky and get selected.
This year, Sarah and Ben’s dreams came true when their applications to run in the London Marathon were accepted!
She had just 6 months to train, so Sarah fully committed herself to training at least 3 times a week. Each week, the runs got a little easier and so she increased the distances. Sarah even challenged herself to complete a 5k, 10k and a half marathon, all of which she completed, before tying up her running shoes to complete the full 26.2 mile London Marathon.
Sarah and Ben both decided to run for WellChild, a charity that is close to their heart and supports children with complex needs. Her cousin lives with Cerebral Palsy and has been supported by WellChild, so she felt it was right to give something back and support the important work they do!
On the day of the marathon, Sarah had done all the preparation she could and felt mentally “in the zone”. It was a moment she had waited all of her life for and was looking forward to completing this final challenge in her journey.
“I managed to run a good 15 miles nonstop. I listened to other people’s advice and paced myself. By 20 miles my body was aching and growing tired and those last 6 miles felt hard, gruelling and never ending,” said Sarah. Despite these feelings, Sarah pushed on and passed the finish line with tired legs but very proud of herself.
In response to completing the Marathon, Sarah said, “When your legs get tired, run with your heart and that’s exactly what I did when it got tough, which it did. When I felt like giving up I’d look at the wristband I’d been sent with a child’s name on and say “Mia, I’m doing this for you girl”.
Sarah said she isn’t in a rush to put her running shoes back on but is proud of achieving her lifetime goal of completing the London Marathon.