As Danny Robinson approaches the finish line, a blur in black and blue, he falls to the floor to catch his breath. This young man is a hero in his family’s eyes, running the London Marathon for the third time.
The London Marathon is a charity-based race, in which tens of thousands of people run over 26 miles to raise money for their chosen charities. Each runner involved in the marathon has his or her own personal reasons to participate; Danny Robinson’s story is particularly inspirational.
Danny Robinson, a 26 year old man from Poplar in London, has ran in the London Marathon three times already and plans to run again this year, for Cancer Research, a charity close to his heart.
When he was just thirteen years old, Danny lost his grandfather to pancreatic cancer.
“It killed me, he [his grandfather] made me promise I would look after my nan and always keep her smiling, so I did.”
Unfortunately, the hardships for Danny did not end there. On his sixteenth birthday, his beloved Nan became ill and two weeks later she lost her life to lung cancer.
Danny told us that once he was old enough, he would raise as much money as he could to support cancer research.
“My nan was my world and I would literally have taken a bullet for her, it may sound strange to people but after I finish the marathon each year I call her mobile phone, just to hear her voice-mail and I always leave her a message telling her how much I miss her and I can’t wait to see her again.”
Each year Danny is cheered on by the thousands of supporters who all turn up on the streets of London to cheer on the runners, and Danny explained, that these fans are the reason he is able to cross the finish line.
His Brother Joe Robinson, said, “I will be sat at the pub, with a beer in my hand cheering for my brother, he really does deserve a medal for his dedication to the cause.”
One thing is for sure, Danny Robinson will be receiving a lot of support as he runs through his childhood estate in Poplar, East London this April 13th.
For more information about how you can sign up for next year’s marathon visit: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/running/run-for-oxfam/virgin-london-marathon
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