Marathon task for father daughter duo

Tim and Caitlin Arrowsmith will be running the London marathon in memory of Tim’s father who took his own life last year. Tim, 55, will be running for Children with Cancer whilst Caitlin, 22, will be running for Age UK.

Tim ran the marathon for the first time last year and said he loved it. Caitlin plays for Shrewsbury Town Women, having played for teams including Wolverhampton Wanderers and Walsall FC in the past.

Tim said: “She can’t train as much as me because she needs to be careful not to get injured.

“I’ve got a long run to do this weekend of 22 miles, I’ve been training hard. Caitlin isn’t quite as quick as me which is good for me because she is about 30 years younger.”

Tim’s father took his own life last year. Tim said: “My dad took his life last year in the run up to the marathon last year. He decided he had had enough and I respect him for that.

“He loved athletics and it’s also just such a nice day that I thought, ‘I have to do this’. In fact, I was sitting in a coffee shop in London when I thought I should sign up again.”

This will be Caitlin’s first marathon, and Tim is looking forward to doing the event with his daughter: “I think it’s a fantastic thing to do. I hope my dad is looking down at us running together, it will be very emotional, I'm so proud of her.

“She signed up and forgot that she had so it was a surprise when she found out she was doing it. Age UK heard her story about her grandpa and had to give her a place.”

Tim is looking forward to the day but he says it will be emotional for him this year.

He added: “He loved sport and he especially loved athletics. Every year he religiously watched the marathon.

“I told him for the first time in 2017 that i would be running the marathon and he was so proud, it’s sad he never actually got to see me run it.”

Tim's fundraising page can be found here: https://bit.ly/2Gga97Y

Report by Mischa Manser