London Marathon: Peterborough woman to run iconic race to raise cash for donkey sanctuary

A Peterborough runner will take on the London Marathon later this month in a bid to support the Donkey Sanctuary.

Trudy Larkinson, 59, will join other runners in Team Donkey Sanctuary to take part in the world-famous event in the capital on 23 April.

Starting in Greenwich, the 26.2 mile route takes in many of the city’s iconic landmarks such as Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, before finishing along The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.

Trudy was inspired to run for The Donkey Sanctuary after being moved to tears by one of the charity’s television adverts. She has been a runner for around 27 years and ran the London Marathon in 2010. She had only wanted to do it once, but after experiencing the atmosphere of the event, she wanted to do it again – and support The Donkey Sanctuary's work at the same time.

Aside from her busy training routine, Trudy is a part-time hairdresser and looks after her parents. She also spends time during the week looking after her baby grandson.

She has a personal trainer but also does long runs with her brother. One of their training runs often takes in the beautiful scenery of the nearby Rutland Water.

Trudy said the thought of a slice of cake kept her going on training runs. She said: “My friends and family are all very supportive but think I'm crazy. I am finding the training hard, but what keeps me going is that I am doing it for donkeys, plus I can enjoy a bit more cake!”

Rose Huxham, Community Fundraising Officer at The Donkey Sanctuary, added: “We are so grateful that Trudy is part of Team Donkey Sanctuary.

“Our wonderful fundraisers like Trudy help us to continue supporting donkeys in need here in the UK and across the world, and we will be cheering her on every step of the way.”

To keep updated on Trudy’s progress, including how to support her fundraising, please visit her Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/trudy-larkinson1