Bridgnorth runner takes latest marathon in her stride
A Bridgnorth runner who has raised more than £17,000 for various charities over the years, has returned to marathon running after hearing about the loss of a friend's first child.
Claire Mathias began running following the breakdown of her marriage in 2015 and started with 10K runs in Shrewsbury and Ludlow, as well as more than 80 parkruns.
The mother of two took on her first marathon in Paris in 2017 to raise money for local schoolboy Rupert Beckett, who later died from cancer.
Since then, the 54-year-old has taken on the Paris Marathon again twice, as well as the London Marathon, which she did two weeks after the Paris Marathon in 2018.
From her various runs, Claire has raised more than £17,000 for various charities, often for causes that have affected people she knows.
She said: "I started running for my mental health and I do enjoy it because it is a way of getting out and its sociable.
"But I didn't take up running until I was 47 and I hardly train. I am also not a fast runner, as my marathon personal best is five hours, 40 minutes, but I love giving back."
Now following a hiatus caused by Covid, the French teacher returned to the 26-mile event and has run her fifth marathon to raise money for a stillbirth charity.
She said: "The 2020 Paris Marathon was cancelled due to coronavirus so I purchased a place for the 2022 Paris marathon but didn’t train much and had no one to go with, so this was third time lucky really."
Clarie, who has been a teacher at both Bridgnorth Endowed School and Castlefields Primary, says she put her running shoes on again having taught four girls in the same family who lost a brother 18 years ago.
She continued: "Petra and Jonathan Walsh lost their first child, a son they named Owen, following an uneventful 40 weeks of pregnancy. This year he would have been 18, so my target for the Paris Marathon was £1,800."
However Claire smashed that target after the April 2 Marathon and has returned to Bridgnorth having raised around £3,000 for stillbirth charity SANDS on her JustGiving page which is still active.
She said: "It is amazing in this climate that people are still willing to donate so much money. It has been really lovely, Some people sponsor me £3, or £4. A boy next door gave me £5.
If you wish to donate to Claire's latest marathon run, her donation page is at justgiving.com/fundraising/Claire-Mathias15
