Farnham Runners impress at the London and Manchester marathons
Eleven Farnham Runners took on the challenge of the London marathon and four ran the Manchester marathon on the same day.
Despite the warm conditions, all strove to clinch the best time possible. There were some remarkable performances and everyone had a memorable day.
Four Farnham Runners also put a great deal of effort into raising sponsorship. Charities will gain over £7,600, taking club members’ sponsorship from the year 2000 to over £300,000.
Here are the runners’ stories:
Chris Matthews
He flew round for a new club M45 marathon record of 2:43:09. He thanked all the club coaches and noted:
“Since joining two years ago I have taken 7 mins off my marathon time!”
Joe Collins
Seen in the photo above with Chris Matthews, he commented:
“The 2025 London Marathon, making use of a club place, marked my debut road marathon. I’m proud to say, I finished in 2:45 (2:45:10), right on my target. After months of training and preparation, it was incredibly satisfying to hit my goal time on the day. The atmosphere in London was electric—unlike anything I’ve experienced before. From the start in Blackheath and seeing my wife and family in Charlton and the Farnham Runners supporters at mile 7 to the final stretch along The Mall, the crowd support was nonstop. It was a warm day, which added an extra challenge, especially in the second half, but I managed to hold pace and finish strong. Overall, I loved the experience. It was a big personal milestone to go close to 2:45 in my first road marathon, and the whole day—from the crowds to the course—was unforgettable. London delivered, and I’m already thinking about doing it again next year.”
Liam McMurray
“Manchester was my third marathon but first for six years and my personal best was 3.27 in a trail marathon in New Zealand. My aim was to get a ‘Good for Age’ spot for London following years of no luck in the ballot. I ran 2:48:37, over 3 minutes within the revised qualifying cut-off time so hopefully secured a spot for 2026! The race went really well. I was well on track for 2.45 until mile 21 where my pace then slowed due to the heat and lack of long runs completed in preparation following injuries, so I was happy to control the finish and run under 2.50.”
Matt Saker
“In my 9th London marathon my training had gone well and, despite the hot weather, so had the race until the last 100 metres when my legs collapsed beneath me! With the finish line in sight I experienced the true spirit of the marathon when two fellow runners helped me back to my feet and over the line in a finish time of 3 hours and 2 seconds.”
Lizzie May
“London was my 8th marathon and 3rd time there, so I felt confident that I knew what to expect. Training had been good but not without its issues as I was nursing a slight injury and missed a few key runs, but Farnham Runner, Joe Lee’s training plan clearly had already done its work. I had been aiming for sub 3 hours and with 6 miles to go felt confident, however as temperatures topped 22 degrees I erred on the side of caution for the final 10km to make sure I finished without any issues. 3:03:23 a 4 minute PB and well in for a championship entry next year, a great day out!”
Ivan Chunnett
“This was my first time running the London Marathon after winning one of the two club ballot spots. It was my nineteenth marathon or ultra-marathon and my fourth marathon this year. I’m building up to an ultra-marathon in South Africa called the Comrades in June, which is fifty-six miles. Although my training is focused on the Comrades, it has gone well for London, despite an ongoing minor knee injury for the last month. I was not prepared for the heat after doing most of my training this year in temperatures between minus five and ten degrees. I also struggled to stomach my gels (concentrated sugar drinks for energy) during the race, so the last nine miles were hard work. However, the massive crowds kept me going, and I finished with a personal best of 3:26:17 It was an incredible event with so many people running and the biggest crowds ever. The noise at points led to sensory overload, and you had to think about putting one foot in front of the other. There was fantastic support from Farnham Runners, as there were more supporters than runners and they gave us brilliant motivation along the route.”
Linda Tyler
“This was my 53rd marathon and 19th London. My training went well, supplemented with daily strength training which really helped, I secretly hoped to beat my 2019 personal best time of 3:33:45. It was very warm and crowded on the course, but with encouragement from our wonderful team of supporters and knowing how many people were tracking me at home, I managed to dig deep and cross the finish line in 03:33:27 coming 9th out of 778 in the F60-64 age group and securing a Good for Age place for next year!”
(Linda has also beaten her previous F60 club record.)
Emma Dawson
“I had a Good for Age place and finished in 3:46:05 in my second marathon and first in London. I loved the marathon experience….. I had to adjust my pace a little for the hot weather and some injury problems but was determined to stick to an 830 mile…. which I just about did! The last few miles were pretty tough but I was thrilled to finish in one piece!”
Richard Steedman
“Manchester was my first marathon, the training had gone really well, hitting a few peak weeks of 100km/week. I set out aiming for a 3:30, and was on track until my legs went into cramp which I’ve not had before, with the heat ended up adjusting expectations and coming in at 3:48:31 which I am super happy with, given the conditions.”
Lizzie Morgan
“I raised £2,302 in the London marathon for Sense – a charity I picked as they support people with disabilities and my brother is disabled, so close to my heart! The training was going great until I got three injuries at the end of January (knee, hip and foot) and I didn’t think I’d be able to run the marathon at all. I ended up getting back into the plan in the hope I could still do it, and had about six weeks to train! I am very happy that I managed to run at all and at a fairly decent pace with no niggles throughout, to cross the line in 4:40:59 in my first marathon.”
Rebecca Holburn (Becky)
“This was my first ever marathon and I ran it for Sarcoma UK. Sarcoma is a bone and soft tissue cancer and very meaningful to me as my little niece was diagnosed with a sarcoma aged 5 and after chemo therapy at age 6 she had her leg amputated above the knee. She has defied all expectations and it was such a boost to see her supporting me and this really helped get me round. My marathon effort has raised £3500 for this charity. I have really enjoyed all my training and found running with Farnham Runners super helpful with such a supportive group and so many options for different types of run. The marathon was an amazing experience and the atmosphere was incredible. I really enjoyed it but found the last 12km super tough and it was very hot! My time was 4:46:16 which I was very proud of.”
Anna and Stephen Buckmaster
“Both my daughter Anna and I ran Manchester Marathon and it was the first marathon for both of us. The event was fantastic, but on the day really hot. Anna managed a very respectable 4.29:16, I made 5.07:58.”
Shirley Perrett
“I have run 22 marathons now, the training this time was good but time consuming as always. My target time was 5.5 hours and, on this very hot day, I finished in 5:41:26 which is a ‘Good for Age’ time. I am raising £500 for Cancer Research UK, having suffered cancer several times in the past few years. What a great event to take part in, such a privilege!”
Claire Arnott
“This was my first marathon. I only had one goal and that was to enjoy it. I never thought I could ever run a marathon, but I enjoyed proving myself wrong. The heat was difficult but I took it steady and smiled my way round. I was lucky to get a ballot place my first time entering. It felt like a golden ticket and wasn’t going to waste it. I decided to raise money from Alzheimer’s Society and have reached £1372. I couldn’t be more proud of what I achieved. I did it in 6:14:06.”
See the Photo Gallery 2025 for further photos from the London Marathon.