A day of hopes and dreams as charity runners go to Portsmouth

Scores of Isle of Wight runners set off to do this year’s Great South Run and among them were a number of people who were running to raise money for charity.

Scroll through our gallery of pictures above to see more of the charity runners....

It’s an emotive race for everyone and the event draws people from across the country, as well as huge crowds of spectators.

Deb Joy, who was running in memory of her sister, Cath Love,  is pictured with her son, Simon (left), her son-in-law Dan (back) and Cath’s son, Cam (right).

Cheryl-Lee Chapman teamed up with Stephanie Barnes to help Penni Frankling (main image, top) on her run for Diabetes UK in memory of her late mum.

Cheryl said: “We finished the race in 2hrs 39mins but that was not important to us, our aim was for Penni to complete the run.

"We ran the whole ten miles without walking once.

“I also have diabetes, so it was close to my heart too — and also a challenge myself to endure ten miles with glucose fluctuations.

“Before this event, Penni had never even entertained the thought of running a mile, let alone ten miles.

“She has spent a whole year since lockdown preparing for this event — through laughter and many tears — with immense support from her friends and family.

“Penni managed to raise over £500 for Diabetes UK and she has said if that can help just one person in future then that’s a job well done.

“Stephanie and myself are incredibly proud of what Penni has achieved and it shows that no matter what your background, age or health, running does not discriminate and we can all achieve.

“Penni always helps everyone and volunteers and does a lot of charity work across the Island for Barnardos etc. She really is someone special.”

Deb Joy was running in memory of her sister, Cath Love, who died in February.

Deb said: “I absolutely love the Great South Run, it’s such a fantastic event.

“I ran 1hrs 51mins with my friend. My sister’s son, Cam Love, ran a fantastic 1hrs 37mins, having not trained at all.

“Cam is 17, and had never run that distance before, ever! He’s had a tough time and we are very proud of him

“We raised £1,151 for the Isle of Wight Diabetic Fund in memory of Cath.”

Liz Cooper, Becky Hepworth and Tracey Porteous also ran in aid of the IW Diabetic Fund in memory of Cath, their “awesome friend and running buddy."

They completed the GSR together in 2hrs 17mins.

Liz said: “Cath was Type 1 diabetic, but that never stopped her from doing anything she wanted to.

“The event had a wonderful atmosphere, with loads of supporters cheering us on, including many members of Cath’s and our own families.

“Although an emotional day for us, in that we were running for Cath rather than with her, it felt like a fitting tribute to her.

“We are delighted and humbled that our team fundraising page stands at more than £1,200.”

Lucinda Rowe during the Great South Run. Photo by marathon-photos.com

Lucinda Rowe ran in aid of Macmillan. She said: “I completed it in 2hrs 12mins. I actually ran a bit further than the ten miles as I kept running back to my friend — she was stopping to walk but if I did that it would have been hard to get going again.

“The race was organised brilliantly, and the support was amazing from everyone. People were cheering our names and shouting encouraging messages the whole way around. I can’t wait to do it next year!

“I have also raised £695 so far for Macmillan which is just incredible — and fundraising is still ongoing.”

Lisa Taylor, who works for Island Roads, also took part in the Great South Run.

She completed the run as part of her challenge to run 1,000 miles in 2021 in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Lisa said: “It was a beautiful day and the support and energy from everyone was superb. It was great to be back to a normal run, albeit with a lot of additional Covid measures in place.”

Lisa finished in 1hr 52 mins.

Dyan Northard completed the Great South Run in memory of her brother, Andrew, who died aged 17 from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Dyan has set herself the challenge of doing both the Great North and Great South Run — she had to defer the Great North until next year due to injury, but managed to recover just in time for last Sunday’s race.

Dyan finished in 1hr 48mins and has raised £1,160 so far for Muscular Dystrophy UK.

Sarah Holmes finishes a trio of her favourite races for MIND. From left, the London Marathon, the Isle of Wight Marathon and the Great South Run 2021.

Sarah Holmes has taken on two marathons and a ten-mile race in three weeks in aid of MIND.

She said: “The Great South was amazing as always. The crowds were out in force and there wasn’t much of a headwind this year! We are so lucky to have that just across the water.

“I finished in 1hr 26mins which I’m really happy with after running the Isle of Wight and London Marathons on the previous two Sundays.

“I managed to raise nearly £1,800 for MIND, so I am very grateful to all the support I’ve had along the way.”

Kathryn Grimes was one of 17 runners raising money for The Wight Brainy Bunch, which she founded with husband, Mark.

She said: “I personally finished in 1hr 44mins, but it was fantastic seeing our vests everywhere and they all finished and did amazingly well, including Jack, Joe, Ryan, Rob, Sean and Oli, who returned to their university city of Portsmouth to run in memory of their mentor and university lecturer, Dr Gareth Swift, who sadly passed away a few months ago from a brain tumour.

“Mu husband and I always love this event, as it’s where our story started, and although I found the last couple of miles quite tough, Mark kept pushing me on to finish and we crossed the line together, as we did the first year we took part.”

Also running for the charity was Zoe Smith.

She said: This was my first big event over 5k and wow it didn’t disappoint. I loved every second of it, from the cheering crowds to the little kids high-fiving us as we ran past.

“I started with a huge amount of nerves, and finished with tears, a big smile and a sprint finish — the perfect run. I’m sure my dad was with me every step of the way. A big thank you to all those who have sponsored me, it will make such a difference to The Wight Brainy Bunch."

Zoe finished in 1hr 30mins.

• Finally, outstanding young Island athlete Henry McLuckie competed in his class in last Saturday’s Great South 5km run. He was beaten into second place by six seconds, but he has raised £568 to date for the Isle of Wight Prostate Cancer Support Group

READ AGAIN: Isle of Wight trio took on London Marathon for good causes

Are you running a race for charity in the near future? If so, we would love to hear from you! Email editor@iwcp.co.uk