My Story

Running the London Marathon for my brother Alex

I am running the London marathon for my brother. Losing my brother is one of the most painful moments in my life and I want to do more to make sure other families don’t have to face that pain and don’t have to face it alone.

On 20 January 2025 I lost my brother, Alex English, from High Grade Acinic Cell Carcinoma, a form of salivary gland cancer. Since then I have been active in trying to raise awareness and funding for the less survivable rarer forms of cancer. Because of the rare nature of Alex’s condition we didn’t have much warning about the journey he was going through, and there was no cure.

While rare cancers make up less than half of cancer cases, 55% of those who die from cancer die from a rare cancer and for that reason we need a focus on finding cures and better understanding of rare cancers. And that is why I’m running the London Marathon for Salivary Gland Cancer UK and for Cancer 52, a charity that is a voice for rarer cancers and supports research into their cures.

I am running this marathon to give families more time with their loved ones and in memory of my brother, one of the best people I’ve ever met.

About us

The London Marathon has become an annual, inspiring and colourful fixture in the world’s sporting calendar since the inaugural race on 29 March 1981: a celebration of fun, fundraising and fancy dress.

Over the years more than a million people have completed the 26.2-mile course – which runs from Blackheath to The Mall, with a spectacular finish in front of Buckingham Palace, showcasing the very best that the capital city has to offer.

What’s more, these participants have raised over a billion pounds for charity and there have been countless amazing tales of human achievement throughout the event’s history – living up to its aim of helping participants ‘to have fun, and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world’.