How our 26 dedicated London Marathon 2017 runners are set to raise over £90,000 for cancer research

#TeamICR runner ‘Hollywood’ Dave Griffiths during the race.

On Sunday 23 April, marathon day dawned. Twenty-six-point-two miles of empty city streets lay before the runners. A daunting route, littered with famous landmarks, lined with cheerers, charities and soon-to-be-discarded water bottles.

Months of training had led our #teamICR runners to this point. Running a marathon is no easy feat.

WATCH: The London Marathon 2017 runners pass the mile 12 point.

26.2 gruelling miles

If you’ve ever been in London during the race, you’ll know that there’s a certain kind of electricity in the air on marathon day, a certain type of camaraderie and spirit. It would take a heart of stone to not be moved by the sight of so many runners proudly sporting team vests and t-shirts, jogging for miles for causes they believe in.

It takes hawk-like eyesight to spot ICR vests as they stream along – but as each #teamICR runner passed the cheer point at mile 12, our fantastic volunteers clapped and hollered and powered them on into the second half of their race.

WATCH: Ian Andrews, running for #teamICR, is cheered on by ICR supporters during the marathon.

40,000 marathon runners

Getting into the London Marathon is nearly as tough a task as running it. Of the more than 250,000 people who entered, just under 40,000 lined up for the iconic marathon this year, including our 26 #teamICR runners (that’s one for every mile of the race!). Our team ran for mothers and fathers, for friends and wives, and every single one ran with the goal of defeating cancer.

#TeamICR runner ‘Hollywood’ Dave Griffiths is running a phenomenal 10 marathons this year to fundraise for the ICR in honour of his wife, who is currently undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer. The Virgin Money London Marathon was the third of his ten-marathon challenge.

“It was a tough one yesterday and I cramped up at mile 15 – but no surprise as that's marathon number three in four weeks,” Dave said when I caught up with him after he crossed the finish line. “It was tough but I’m not stopping until my challenges are done. The reason you are running far outweighs any pain you are feeling, and so the job will always get done and you'll never quit.”

Phoebe Waters at the London Marathon 2017.

And as one challenge ends, another begins… potential runners are already applying for #teamICR places for the 2018 London Marathon!

If you’ve caught the running bug and want to take part in in the world’s greatest marathon, don’t miss out on being considered for our team. You can apply now on our London Marathon page or by emailing us for more information.