Meet the Runners: Harry’s Marathon Journey with WithYou
Meet Harry, one of our wonderful supporters running the 2024 London Marathon in aid of WithYou.
Our WithYou marathon team, made up of fourteen people, has been training hard for months to take on this incredible challenge: running 26.2 miles around the city of London on Sunday 21 April.
Harry has taken on multiple marathons to raise money for WithYou’s services, supporting people experiencing challenges with drugs, alcohol and mental health on their recovery journeys.
Feeling lost amongst the social drinking environment at university, Harry wanted to break away from the drinking culture and aim for bigger goals, so he decided to start training for marathons.
But Harry’s journey isn’t just about running. It’s his personal connection with the work we do that inspired him to run multiple marathons for WithYou. It’s about honouring his mum, whom he sadly lost to suicide in January 2020 after a long battle with medicinal substance use.
“The thought that she believed the world would be better off without her has left a vast impression on the way I view and wish to live my life.”
Harry’s experiences have led him to understand how easy it is to take life for granted. He has decided to work towards the best version of himself, one day at a time, pushing himself to achieve all he can mentally and physically.
Having already completed the Valencia marathon back in December 2023 and raising over £1,000, Harry isn’t stopping there — he’s putting his running shoes on again this month to raise more vital funds for our recovery services.
“I will be running in the 2024 London Marathon to help the charity further… I believe it’s extremely important that charities such as this exist to help people experiencing challenges with substance use as my mother once was.”
As well as raising money, Harry is aiming to raise awareness, so that more people feel they can reach out if they are struggling.
“Overall, I just hope my efforts make at least one person’s life a little easier and reduce the suffering that they feel.”
We wish Harry the best of luck for the marathon, and our team will be there cheering for our fantastic WithYou runners on Sunday 21 April!
You can find out more by visiting Harry’s fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/harrysldnmarathonproject
