I love having a challenge and so after trying to get a ballot place in the London Marathon for around 11 years, I decided to give up waiting and run the Seville Marathon in February 2025.
As February marks the end of the hunting season and the marathon was in Spain, I thought it was only right to try and raise some money for Greyhounds in Need who are so close to my heart, as they brought us to our beautiful boy Miguel (some of you may remember him as Blackberry from September 2023).
Throughout winter I completed 16 weeks of training through cold, dark mornings as well as some pretty memorable storms (it felt like we had one every weekend at points). Miguel even joined me for some of the shorter training runs, and he gets so excited when he sees me get the running lead out.
February came around very quickly, and I travelled to Seville with my best friend, who was also running, and our partners. This was the first marathon I’ve attempted, and it was nerve wracking thinking about the 26.2 miles ahead and the sheer length of time that I was expecting to keep running for. I have completed some endurance events before, and know how most of the effort towards the end draws on your mental strength and determination. With this in mind I tried to keep positive, ate a LOT of carbs the night before and put my GIN vest on with pride to walk towards the start line.
Along the course I saw a running group called ‘Los Galgos’ as well as a number of beautiful rescued galgos with their owners who were there supporting runners, and each time it felt like such a boost and helped me remember why I was running. In the harder moments, I had to remember that my few hours of chosen discomfort was absolutely nothing compared to what some of those galgos would have been through in their short lives.
Coming across the finish line 4 hours and 29 minutes after I started was such an incredible feeling. The first sip of beer after the finish was an even better feeling! I’m so grateful to absolutely every person who sponsored me and helped me raise money for GIN – the current total stands at £1,243. Thank you all so much for your generosity and kind words along the way. I would do the whole thing again in a heartbeat (well, perhaps after another week of sitting down and eating biscuits).
Hayley Crossland
