Jane’s daughter tells of pride at run she inspired

Rebecca Tomlinson was among the thousands of runners who lined up for the event around the streets of York and surrounding villages, and finished with a personal best of three hours, 23 minutes and 49 seconds – 12 minutes faster than her previous fastest time.

Miss Tomlinson, 25, told the Yorkshire Post that the run had been an “amazing experience” and paid tribute to the thousands of spectators who lined the route along the 26.2-mile run, which was set up in memory of her mother, Jane.

She was greeted by her father, Mike, who gave her a huge hug in a touching scene as she crossed the finishing line at the University of York after completing the marathon, which was backed by the Yorkshire Post.

Miss Tomlinson, who wore bib number 1, said: “It has been fantastic, and I have loved every minute and I will be doing it again. I just wanted to do my best and enjoy it, but to complete it in a personal best makes it even better.

“For us as a family, it is amazing that this has been inspired by my mum. But there are thousands of people who are running for their chosen charities.

“There were so many people out supporting all the runners, not just in York but in all the villages we went through. They were brilliant, and made it all the more memorable.”

The marathon was officially launched in January at Clifford’s Tower in the centre of York, and the initial 6,000 places sold out within days. More places were added and 6,500 runners signed up to take part in yesterday’s race.

Entries came in from across the UK as well as Australia, Canada, the USA and the Caribbean, attracting elite runners including Kenya’s Edwin Korir who crossed the finishing line in a time of two hours 13 minutes 31 seconds.

And the thousands of amateur athletes were responsible for a carnival atmosphere around the course, with some runners opting for fancy dress including Elvis Presley, an elephant and a giant banana.

The idea for a marathon dedicated to the memory of Mrs Tomlinson was first dreamt up three years ago by her family, who have set up a charitable trust as a lasting legacy to her own remarkable fundraising efforts while suffering from cancer.

Mrs Tomlinson raised nearly £2m for charity in a series of gruelling sporting challenges after being diagnosed with terminal cancer before her death in 2007.

For All Events, which already stages 10k races in Leeds, York and Hull and a half-marathon in Leeds, was established by the Tomlinson family.

Mr Tomlinson, who lives in Rothwell, near Leeds, and grew up in Settle in North Yorkshire, was at the finishing line yesterday to greet runners and said the first ever Yorkshire Marathon had exceeded all expectations.

He said: “It really has delivered everything we had hoped for and more – we have brought 
the London Marathon to Yorkshire.

“I wanted to do something that Yorkshire could be proud of, and I really hope that is the case. It is the first year we have done this, and I had expected teething problems, but it has gone brilliantly.

“I have been speaking to the runners as they crossed the line, and they have all said what an amazing time they have had – people have been saying that it is as good as London.

“There has never been a Yorkshire marathon like this, and it all started with Jane wanting to do a marathon herself. Now we have got thousands taking part in an event which they will hopefully remember for the rest of their lives.”

While Mr Tomlinson would not be drawn on whether next year’s event on Sunday, October 12, would be opened up to even more runners, he did say that the aim of the marathon would be to “become bigger and raise more funds” in the future.

It is expected that the runners taking part yesterday will raise £1.3m for the Jane Tomlinson Appeal along with other partner charities, including Macmillan Cancer Support, Yorkshire Cancer Research, St Leonard’s Hospice in York and Parkinson’s UK.

But organisers stressed that hundreds of thousands of pounds is also due to be raised for other charities chosen by the individual runners.

The marathon is expected to bring a £1m boost to York with visitors flocking to the city to witness the race. The city is already one of Britain’s most popular destinations.

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