For many, planning a wedding and training to complete the Virgin Money London Marathon would be too much to even contemplate doing at the same time. But that is exactly the challenge that Laura Harvey and Paul Elliott are undertaking, as they plan to marry during the race on Sunday 26 April.

Online-Petition "Stoppt die DLV-Laufmaut"

The London couple, who are running to raise money for Cancer Research UK, are set to tie the knot around halfway through the race, with their ceremony booked at a licensed venue at St Katharine Docks for 12:45. This means the pair must cover the first 12.5 miles or so in under two hours 35 minutes, with the mass race beginning at 10:10.

After a 45-minute service, Laura, a physiotherapist, and Paul, a HR adviser, will hit the road again while their guests tuck in to lunch and watch the newly-weds run past again at the 22-mile mark. Once they cross the Finish Line in front of Buckingham Palace, the pair will head off to enjoy their wedding reception.

Paul, 41, says, “Everyone thinks it’s a bit mad, but we’re both sporty and wanted to do something different. My mum’s a bit worried as to whether I’ll firstly get to halfway and then to the Finish Line. Hopefully they won’t be waiting for too long.”

The couple are aiming to raise £5,000 for Cancer Research UK, the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon’s official charity, in honour of Paul’s father Mark, who died of bowel cancer in 1996.

In a bid to prevent their legs seizing up after stopping mid-marathon, the duo have been practising running 13 miles before stopping at Starbucks for an hour then continuing.

Laura will complete the race wearing a tennis dress gown while Paul will don a suit top, leggings and top hat.

The 34-year-old bride-to-be says, “We both love the London Marathon and wanted to do something different for our wedding. We thought it would be amazing to combine the two! We got engaged last May and are very grateful to Cancer Research UK and the London Marathon for helping us make this happen.”

Laura and Paul form part of Cancer Research UK’s largest ever marathon team, who are aiming to raise £2.5 million in order to help build The Francis Crick Institute, a world leading centre of biomedical research due for completion later this year.

The first couple to get married during the London Marathon were Mick Gambrill and Barbara Cole in 1999.

Source: London Marathon

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Online-Petition "Stoppt die DLV-Laufmaut"

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