🏅London Marathon Sunday - Highlighting some amazing people running for Scope!🏅

This Sunday is the London Marathon. A grueling 26.2 mile challenge which amazing people take on, many for causes they're passionate about.

We wanted to highlight a few of the exceptional 111 people choosing to run for Scope! These stories have either been extracted from news articles or just giving pages.

Connor Reynolds

A dad from Birmingham has shared the emotional reason behind his decision to run the London Marathon this year, after his little boy was diagnosed with a rare condition at birth. Reign was diagnosed with the rare condition Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula and Oesophageal Atresia at birth.

According to the NHS, oesophageal atresia is a rare birth defect that affects a baby's oesophagus, which can mean food can't reach the stomach. Oesophageal atresia often occurs alongside tracheo-oesophageal fistula, which is a connection between the lower part of the oesophagus and the windpipe. This means that a child diagnosed with the condition will not likely be able to swallow safely - if at all.

Connor will be running in support of Scope, a charity dedicated to creating an equal future with disabled people, with the dad-of-three explaining how he wants his little boy to 'grow up with the same opportunities as everyone else.'

Elektra Fence

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK S3 star Elektra Fence will be taking on her third marathon - in full drag (we're talking 'bright colours, Barbie vibes') - to support the charity, Scope. She's deeply connected to the charity as both her parents were born with cerebral palsy and have benefited from Scope's support for over seventy years.

Elektra has said "I think it's addictive, doing the London Marathon! My amazing mum and dad were both born with cerebral palsy. Scope have done a lot for them over the years, and now, I want to do a lot more for Scope. You get to that finish line, and you just burst into tears. I don't know whether it's the adrenaline or the emotion of seeing all those people cheering you on, or the fact you've raised so much money for the charity you're running for. But what I do know is that it's such an incredible feeling, and what I look forward to the most afterwards is a right good massage. I just want to me clicked, clacked - and it's just amazing!"

Moeed Majeed

Moeed is an influencer and Scope supporter, who recently spoke to Jumokė Fashola at BBC Radio London about his experience with Crohn’s disease and his decision to have a stoma. He said of Scope "They’re dedicated to improving the lives of disabled people. Every donation will help Scope to continue its important work. While progress has been made in breaking down barriers, much work remains to be done.”

On his just giving page, he say's: "Yes yes people :) This is actually happening! Next year, I’m running the London Marathon, by far the BIGGEST physical challenge I’ve ever faced. Ten years ago, I had stoma surgery, something the completely shifted my perception of myself. Since then, I’ve wanted to push myself further and see what's possible."

Trevor Gunning

A Community Delivery Manager at Evri, he's taking on this challenge at 71! His decision to run is part of a wider effort across Evri to support disability equality through its partnership with Scope.

Evri launched its three-year partnership with Scope in 2024, aiming to fundraise for Scope and improve accessibility for customers, colleagues and couriers.

The partnership includes a number of accessibility initiatives alongside fundraising efforts, which total more than £188,000 to date, supporting Scope’s mission of creating an equal future for disabled people.

Trevor was inspired to run for Scope by a close friend. He said: “A good friend of mine was a jump jockey who, 18 years ago in his early twenties, was thrown off his horse racing at Exeter. He broke his back and has been a wheelchair user since.

“He is an inspiration and gets on with life. Last year he completed London in his wheelchair - no fancy racing chair, just his normal everyday version. With Scope supporting people such as him, it seemed an obvious choice.”

William Applegate

William is a University student taking on two marathons, in just two weeks!

He said: "I’m taking on two marathons just two weeks apart - Brighton and London - to raise money and awareness for Scope, a brilliant charity that works to end disability inequality in the UK. I am choosing this charity because my sister, Lauren, works in one of their charity shops (Brighton). Through her, I have seen first-hand the impact this charity has. This is not done by only raising money, but by supporting real people and challenging the barriers disabled people face every day.

We also wanted to highlight and thank Cole, Jamie and Nathan Elleman, who took on the Manchester marathon last weekend.

Cole and Nathan pushed their brother Jamie - Nathan's twin - who is a wheelchair user, for the whole distance of the 26.2 mile race.

Jamie, lives with cerebral palsy, and the three men decided raising money for the disability equality charity Scope was something they all wanted to do. The brothers are all thrilled and very excited to be able to run a marathon together in such a unique way.

The trio prepared for the challenge, motivated by their close bond and determination to cross the finish line together. Cole has run marathons before, but neither Jamie or Nathan have any marathon experience. Cole said: “Nathan and I are going to be working on our fitness and Jamie is going to train to stay nice and lean for us to make pushing the chair as easy as possible.”

We want to take this opportunity to say good luck and a HUGE thank you to those 111 running for Scope this weekend! 🏅