Marika was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2016, since then she has undergone numerous rounds of chemotherapy and a full mastectomy. Unfortunately just before she was due to begin radiotherapy treatment, Marika found that her cancer had recurred. She has been on life extending chemotherapy ever since.
Marika is an avid runner and has been running with William, her ‘running husband’, for several years now. Apart from a break to recover from surgery, Marika managed to keep up running all throughout her first rounds of treatment.
Before she is no longer able to run, Marika’s dream was to run the London Marathon once more. This wasn’t quite enough of a challenge for her so she decided she would run three marathons in a month! Marika and William will be running the Virgin Money London Marathon, the Milton Keynes Marathon and Edinburgh Marathon, all between the dates of the 22 of April and the 27 of May 2018.
UPDATE: Unfortunately Marika has had some health complications in the run up to the London marathon and will not be able to run. William will still be running on the day. We thank Marika and William for their ongoing support and our thoughts are with her and her family.
Dogged determination
Marika hasn’t been without setbacks, she now has nodules in her left lung which unfortunately led to her having some water on the lung membrane. In January she was told by doctors to take a break from running.
Due to what William calls her ‘dogged determination’ Marika kept on training by swiftly walking 17/18 miles at the weekends. She recently had the great news of being able to run again and is enjoying getting back on track with her training.
William said: “Imagine my surprise when Marika told me I will be running 3 marathons with her. I had no choice obviously, so I will be with her every step of the way.”
Marika is determined to finish all three races, she said: “By hook or by crook I am getting over those finish lines, even if I have to crawl. I am so grateful to William, I couldn’t do it without him!”
Marika and William first came across the ICR through their friend Hollywood Dave who ran 11 marathons for us in 2017. They are now passionate members of #teamICR and hope to smash their fundraising target of £2000.
If you would like to support Marika and William in their incredible efforts, you can donate on their Virgin Money Giving page https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/WilliamAnderson11
If their story has inspired you to take part in next year's London Marathon or any of our running events as part of #teamICR, email us or see our Sports and Challenges page for event listings throughout 2018 and 2019.