The London Marathon is taking place on Sunday and we have eight magnificent supporters who will be putting on their running shoes for the Encephalitis Society. 

Find out more about our great eight - as well as Emma Smith who will be running the Loch Ness Marathon on Sunday.

If you are interested in undertaking a challenge for the Encephalitis Society, please contact our fundraising team.

London Marathon

Rebecca Dunnell

"I was diagnosed with mycoplasma encephalitis at the age of 2, so I know too well how much it changes the lives of those who contract the illness and their loved ones. The most obvious affects are my speech impairment and hearing loss (I have no hearing in my right ear and wear a hearing aid in my left ear). More of my effects that are not immediately obvious are: memory problems; problems with daily living skills (including socialising, cooking, dealing with finances); poor mental stamina; difficulty processing and understanding information; cognitive problems; problems with new learning; difficulty processing my thoughts into speech.

"I am running to raise money for The Encephalitis Society to raise awareness of this devastating illness and show those affected that they are not alone by making them aware of sources such as The Encephalitis Society."

Sponsor Rebecca

Meg Nicholls

Meg is running in memory of her Nan.

Sponsor Meg

Alan Percival

Alan is a volunteer with the Encephalitis Society and has pushed himself through the pain barrier many times in support of the Encephalitis Society. (He's run more miles than I've had hot dinners - editors note)

Sponsor Alan

Virtual London Marathon

Kate Wilson

"Back in 2013 my mum was taken seriously ill with encephalitis. We were extremely fortunate that the doctor recognised the signs and before we knew it she was in hospital receiving strong anti-viral medication. Eventually, mum got well enough to be discharged and could return to driving and even back to working as a nurse, which she has done since finishing school. 

"Others are not so fortunate. Encephalitis can have many differing long term effects - and can even be fatal. 

"In summer 2019 I started running and recently I set myself the challenge of running a marathon by the age of 40 - giving me a window of 4 years. Then the entries for the virtual London marathon opened… Due to work commitments I have only ever ran one Parkrun and my first ever official 10k was first postponed due to COVID and then postponed again due to ongoing city works and will eventually go ahead in June 2022.

"Who doesn’t love the idea of their first official run being one of the biggest and greatest in the world?!"

Sponsor Kate

Paula Heyes

Paula is running the Virtual London Marathon for both the Encephalitis Society and Darcie's Wish. Sunday will be her second marathon!

"I loved Brighton Marathon in 2019 even though it was the toughest thing I've ever done! I'm a bit crazy because I'm returning in September 2021 (hopefully). I initially just signed up to do this for me, to make sure this year wasn't just a fluke! But I've thought about it and I'd really like to do it for charities really close to my heart, The Encephalitis society to raise awareness for my awesome Dad who recovered well but continues to battle the side affects and Darcie's wish because of the valuable work they do to help people who were in my position 13 years ago. I always run in memory of our Lewis, taken before we could say hello."

Sponsor Paula

Stefan Linnell

Stefan will cap off a busy summer of challenges with Sunday's marathon. He is running for his wife, Emma-Jane, who is recovering from encephalitis after falling ill in January 2020.

His other challenges have included the Southwest Coast 2 Coast, Cotswold, and Peak District challenges - totalling over 175km - and which were completed over the space of five weeks.

Sponsor Stefan

Bron Bury

Bron is the Encephalitis Society's Individual Giving Manager and will be running his first marathon on Sunday - or "MaraBron" as the team are calling it.

He will be running across the North Yorkshire Moors with sheep and heather replacing the usual sights and sounds of London.

Sponsor Bron

Also taking part in the virtual marathon is Stefan Couture who is running with his daughter.

Loch Ness Marathon

Emma Smith

At the same time, in Scotland, Emma Smith will be running the Loch Ness Marathon in memory of her granddad.

Sponsor Emma