Ali keeps her cool to complete the hottest London marathon
AN ORMSKIRK teacher completed the London Marathon in the latest challenge of her epic effort to raise money for a cancer charity.
Ali Cross, who is the assistant head of English at Ormskirk School, is taking on a series of fitness challenges
Ali, 39, is a keen runner and decided to use her passion to help Core, a charity which is fighting against digestive disorders, in memory of her dad who died from pancreatic cancer 24 years ago.
She has already completed five half-marathons in five months, alongside a host of non-fitness based fundraising efforts.
These include helping students run a break time tuck shop and hosting a race night with the help of Nationwide Produce PLC, a local company that sponsored the event and generously provided raffle prizes.
With the help of Ali’s mother, sister and friend Dawn, the race night alone managed to raise more than £1,000.
Ali, who lives in Southport, has now completed arguably her biggest challenge, completing the London Marathon.
During her training, with the help of fellow runner Mike Murray, she clocked up between 30 and 40 miles a month.
Speaking after the marathon, which was the hottest on record, Ali said: “It was brutal, I finished in 4.41, slower than all my training predicted.
“But at mile 12 I felt dizzy and thought. ‘I haven’t done all that training to fall over and pass out!’
“So I slowed down, took it in and enjoyed the amazing atmosphere and took in the sights. What a day.
“My family and friends had a more stressful time.
“What a magnificent day and an amazing experience.”
Julie Harrington, CEO of Core, added: “We are so very proud of her epic effort and thank her on behalf of everyone going forward who will benefit from this wonderful support for our life-saving research.”