Our CEO, Matt, is running the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon on Sunday 11 May to raise funds for The Orrell Trust. Please sponsor Matt to encourage him in his efforts to complete the 42.2km course and support our vital work at the same time.
Reflecting on his challenge Matt said,
“As a rugby league fan there is something extra special about lining up on the start line of the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon at Headingly Stadium. That I can do so whilst also supporting The Orrell Trust and the amazing work we do for our local Bootle community is all the more special.”
Please complete the form to make your donation. With your support we can inspire Matt to get to that finish line.
Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon – Done it!
It is two days since I crossed the finishing line in a hot and hilly Leeds and completed the 2025 Leeds Marathon. It was a tough run, there was lots of walking on the hills, and the heat of the day made it all the more difficult. I am immensely proud and absolutely delighted to have completed it and officially be a marathoner.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me; friends, family, Thelwall Morris dancers, the Sutton Manor and Warrington junior parkrun teams, the incredible people involved with The Orrell Trust, and so many more. Your sponsorship, words of encouragement, dealing with my crisis of confidence the day before, and reaching out with congratulations have been greatly appreciated: you are all brilliant. The fundraising has been particularly immense. It looks like sponsorship will top £1,200 which will make a huge difference to The Orrell Trust at a time when the funding environment is tricky and this kind of support it particularly important. Thank you!
We will keep the sponsorship open for a few more days for any last donations. And here are some photos of my various stages of agony to prove I did it!
Update 3: Thursday 8 May
It is getting closer. 3 days until I will be lining up on the start line ready to tackle the 42.2km. Fair to say I am more than a little anxious.
Your generous sponsorship has been a great support and we have smashed through the initial target of £500 and are pushing on to the next target of £1,000. Thank you for your support. It means a huge amount both to me and The Orrell Trust.
Update 2: Monday 28 April 2025
Thank you for your support thus far – sponsorship, both online and offline, is currently around £350 as we steadily make our way towards our initial fundraising target of £500. All short and mostly easy runs between now and marathon day as I deal with a niggly sore knee. Yesterday was a 50 minute easy run along the towpath of the Sankey Navigation in Warrington; my absolute favourite place to run.
Update 1: Tuesday 22 April 2025
I did my longest run of my training block on Easter Sunday – 3hrs and 45mins and a trifle under 28km of running. The last hour was very hard indeed. My body is tired from three months of training but, with three weeks until the event, I am officially tapering. This is the period of training where the load gradually lightens as the marathon approaches so as to arrive on the start line fit, fresh, and ready for the challenge ahead.
That said, my run after work today is not so easy – 1hr 5min with 25mins of this at considerably faster than marathon pace. I hope my legs have recovered sufficiently!
Update 0: Where it all began
Well, it didn’t really begin here. It began last year, 2024, when I tried to run the Leeds Marathon but got injured in training and had to defer. To boost my confidence I completed a 20 mile race in October – still my biggest run ever.
But my 2025 effort began in January, in Saltaire, with a gentle canalside run on a glorious Sunday morning. I even bought some excellent new socks for the occasion.