Shrewsbury Town’s Dave Edwards smashes £10k target at London Marathon

Shrewsbury Town assistant manager Dave Edwards smashed his £10,000 fundraising goal as he completed the London Marathon.

Edwards swapped the touchline for the streets of the capital on Sunday, completing his first marathon.

Not only did he conquer the 26.2-mile challenge, he also surpassed his fundraising target, raising an impressive £10,000 for a local charity close to his heart.

Months ago, Edwards admitted his £10,000 target for the Little Rascals Foundation was ambitious. But he has gone beyond that mark, with the total reaching £10,691 as of Monday morning.

Edwards founded the Little Rascals Foundation with lifelong friend Ben Wootton - who he ran the marathon alongside. The pair are also celebrating their 40th birthdays this year, which provided further motivation to take on the challenge.

The Shrewsbury-based charity supports children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families across the region.

Edwards took to social media the day after the marathon to share photos and videos from the day, including one of him running past Daddy Pig, who was also taking part, and another showing him struggling to walk after his efforts.

He wrote: “We did it! Together you helped us achieve our target of raising £10,000 for Little Rascals.

“That was harder than I ever could have imagined but was also one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life.

“The last six miles took my body and mind to a place that I have never had to overcome before, but the atmosphere and support from everyone was unbelievable and pushed me over the line.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who has kindly donated over the last few months. There’s still time to donate if you can.

“I think I might be struggling to walk today!”

Edwards, who also played for Wolves, had only competed in 10k races in Shrewsbury and Welshpool in recent years, making the marathon an entirely new challenge.

It capped a positive weekend for Edwards, as his Shrewsbury Town side ended their season at home in dramatic fashion with a late draw against Fleetwood Town.

Despite reaching his initial target, Edwards is still welcoming donations via his JustGiving page.

He said the funds will go towards the charity’s aim of helping children and teenagers with special educational needs and disabilities prepare for adulthood.

You can donate via the link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ben-dave-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=020