Our 2019 London Marathon Runners

In 2019 we had 4 runners taking part in the London Marathon: Ann, Ross, Jim and Zhang. They all completed the marathon with superfast times!

Congratulations to you all and thank you for fundraising for Iolanthe Midwifery Trust!

Meet our 2019 runners...

Ann Stapleton

"My story has a happy ending thanks to the midwives who looked after my son. During my final stage of labour, Max's heartbeat could no longer be detected. Max was born unresponsive; he was blue, not breathing and had the cord wrapped round his neck twice. Without the assertiveness and care the midwives gave Max by their quick reaction to the situation and the fact after he started breathing he did stopped again we wouldn't have our amazing cheeky chappy that we have today.

I believe that if you are given an opportunity you should take it. To do this whilst giving something back is worth the 5am training starts. Midwives are specially trained and do an absolute fantastic job in a difficult profession. Let's support them as much as we can." Ann's fundraising page is at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/annstapleton

Ross Coniam

"Our baby girl, Norah Faith, was born on 29th May 2018, weighing 8lbs. She was just perfect; the most beautiful little dot we'd had ever laid eyes on, it was love at first sight! Unfortunately our brief moment of ecstasy soon turned into a nightmare as Norah showed no signs of life and didn't breathe for the first 18 minutes of her life. She was whisked off to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where doctors tried relentlessly to find any sign of hope that Norah would improve. But it was not to be.

After just 9 hours and 56 minutes with us, Norah spread her wings and joined the other angels in the sky. Her last 30 minutes were the most precious of our lives - my wife and I having cuddles with her, with no machines or wires keeping her alive. I will never forget how beautifully calm and peaceful those minutes were, just the 3 of us, even though we knew they would be our first and last with Norah alive in our arms.

In the weeks and months after Norah's death we have been supported by many wonderful friends and family, but also by charities such SANDS, 4Louis, the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust, and Keech Hospice who are doing an amazing job at supporting families dealing with the loss of a child, and also providing research to try and prevent this happening to others. I'm proudly attempting 9 challenges in 2019, in memory of Norah Faith Coniam. I have no doubt Norah will give me the strength to complete each challenge. All money raised over the year will be split between the charities named above.

Challenges signed for so far include:
March - The BIG Half Marathon
April - Virgin London Marathon
May - Isle of Wight 106km Ultra Challenge
June - Endure 24
June or Sept - 12 hour Yorkshire Three Peaks
Sep - Great North Run

I am also planning to complete the 24hr National Three Peaks and am currently looking into some different ideas for the final two challenges."
Ross's website to raise money is www.gofundme.com/nine4norah Alternatively to donate directly to Iolanthe Midwifery Trust visit his page at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RossConiam.. You can follow his fundraising progress on Twitter at @Nine4Norah