Rock Rower Tackles London Marathon

In a bid to meet new people and maintain fitness, Danielle Middleton joined her local gig club three years ago. This year Danielle will be racing in the A crew for Rock Rowing Club at the World Championships. 

After watching the London Marathon on TV for many years, Danielle always felt inspired by the participants and the atmosphere. Typically, the London Marathon and the World Pilot Gig Championships are on back-to-back weekends, making it a challenge to participate in both events. However, this year, with two weeks between the London Marathon and WPGC, Danielle took a chance and applied. 

After successfully securing a place to run the London Marathon, Danielle found herself juggling the demands of training alongside her daily duties as a busy mum of three as well as a career as a dental hygienist. 

A painful flare up of tendonitis in both knees forced Danielle to take six weeks off running before the event. 

Danielle said, “The training was really tough. I got up to 16 miles before the big day but I just didn’t have time to get any more miles in because of my injury and other daily commitments. But I just thought, mind over matter, I’ve got to do this.”

A number of physio sessions later, displaying huge amounts of grit and determination, Danielle successfully completed the London Marathon.

Photo credit: Danielle Middleton

The London Marathon is one of the most popular marathons in the world with more than 50,000 runners taking part this year. The route passes many of London’s best landmarks including Buckingham Palace, The Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf. Crowds in their thousands line the streets to watch and show their support.

Danielle commented, “The crowd is amazing. Towards the end people had banners which said things like ‘you’ve got this’ and ‘pain is only temporary’ and you end up chanting it to yourself. That’s what got me through the last five miles”.

Photo credit: Danielle Middleton

Since the very first London Marathon in 1981 participants have raised over £1 billion for charity. Like many who dedicate themselves to running the 26.2 mile course, Danielle wanted to raise money for a good cause. 

NCPPC holds a special place in Danielle’s heart, she believes, “Childhood is so important and if you can have a good one it sets you up for the rest of your life. Every child is so important and everyone deserves a really good start to life.”  

Danielle has already raised £1,300 which is half of her overall target. To support Danielle, you can donate by clicking here, or you can take part in the Quiz night being held at The Bridge Wool in Wadebridge on the 13th of June at 7:30pm. 

We look forward to catching up with Danielle and the rest of her crew at WPGC this weekend. 

Well done to all those from our community who also took on the challenge of running the London Marathon. You can share your stories with us here.