Amazing marathon efforts keep air ambulances flying high

A team of dedicated runners have raised over £48,000 for the national Children’s Air Ambulance and two local air ambulance charities after overcoming sweltering heat at the 2018 London Marathon.nnThirty runners, sporting the colours of Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA), Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) and the Children’s Air Ambulance, joined a field of over 40,000 to run the world famous 26.2mile race in temperatures touching 24C – the hottest on record.nnnnEvery mile passed and every person across the line increased the support for the urgent critical care response helicopters of the local air ambulance, as well as the national dedicated paediatric helicopter emergency transfer service for children.nnRoger Freeman was among this year’s charity team. Three years ago Roger was airlifted to hospital when he was knocked of his motorbike. He suffered 14 broken ribs, three broken vertebrae, a broken wrist and a ruptured knee.nnIt was important to Roger to recognise the part the local air ambulance played in saving his life so he set himself the daunting task of completing the marathon for the charity “My reason for running the marathon was to give back to the charity – especially to the crew on the day of my accident. I also wanted to prove to myself that I am able to push beyond my physical limits,” explained Roger.nn“Right now I feel extremely privileged and grateful to everyone involved. Thanks to the organisers at the air ambulance and the VLM2018 (marathon) team but more so to the crowds that lifted me at every single step especially from mile 18 onwards. Total strangers were shouting my name, calling encouragement and offering high-fives; without every single one I doubt I’d have found the strength to complete the course.nn“I truly had nothing left. Every drop of energy, motivation, determination had been used. My sunglasses were on, not only because of the blistering heat, but because I was so close to tears at so many points.”nnWe want to pay a HUGE thanks to all our runners, for their support and dedication which will go a long way to helping save lives.nnAndy Williamson, Chief Executive of The Air Ambulance Service also pays tribute to the runners “I want to personally thank and applaud the outstanding efforts of our 30 runners in what were very difficult conditions. Every penny raised by the marathon team will go towards helping to save lives and I’m sure that was a massive motivation to the runners mile after mile.”nnHere’s a full list of the runners who took part in Sunday’s marathon:nnSophie Cameron-Mowat, , BuckinghamshirenJohn Skelton, , GloucestershirenJames Forbes, , DerbyshirenMartyn Caulfield, , DerbyshirenSophie Coley, Roger Freeman, Market Harborough, LeicestershirenTim Hargraves, , LeicestershirenAndrew Keeley, , LeicestershirenCatherine Sawyer, , LeicestershirenJack Wildsmith, Lucy Ellams, Francesca Morton, Darren Roberts, Alison Burge, Grendon, Kevin White, Corby, Mike Grogan, Jack Brough, , South YorkshirenNeil Button, , WarwickshirenJane Cummings, Leamington Spa, WarwickshirenAndrew Meston, , West MidlandsnCallum O’Rourke, , West Midlandsnn