Pushing Limits to Help Save Lives: The Inspirational Stories of BASICS Essex Marathon Runners

Nineteen determined runners have helped raise more than £50,000 for BASICS Essex after taking on the London Marathon — supporting the charity’s volunteer clinicians as they continue responding to life-threatening emergencies across Essex.

From first-time marathon runners to inspirational milestone challenges and family fundraising efforts, each participant had their own deeply personal reason for running the iconic 26.2-mile course.

Together, their efforts will help BASICS Essex continue delivering emergency pre-hospital critical care to seriously ill and injured patients at the roadside, in homes and in rural locations across the county.

The charity’s team of volunteer doctors, paramedics and responders are called out by the East of England Ambulance Service to some of the region’s most serious incidents.

Already in 2026, BASICS Essex has responded to 164 critical care incidents — with fundraising remaining vital to keeping the charity operational.

This year’s marathon team highlighted not only the physical challenge of the event itself, but the incredible spirit of community, kindness and determination behind every pound raised.

Inspirational Stories

Among the runners was 27-year-old Stefanos Katsaros, who completed his very first London Marathon for BASICS Essex.

Stefanos said:  “Having a background of working on commercial ships, a brief stint in the military as part of my national service and a family heavily involved with voluntary search and rescue teams in Corfu, Greece, I realise and appreciate the importance of an organisation like BASICS Essex that carries out a mission to save lives and keep people safe.

“Very seldom are opportunities given to run for a cause and raise awareness for an organisation of people who use their free time as volunteers to genuinely make a difference and protect the everyday citizen.”

Another inspiring runner was Catherine Studd, who chose to take on the London Marathon as part of her 70th birthday celebrations. Despite suffering severe cramp in both legs during the race, Catherine showed remarkable resilience to complete the challenge in just over six hours, while also showing kindness by stopping to walk with a lady who had fallen over.

The event also saw father-and-daughter duo John and Daisy Tyszkiewicz, who have taken part in the London Marathon for BASICS Essex for ten years, continuing their fantastic support for the charity.

For many runners, the fundraising journey itself became one of the most rewarding parts of the experience — proving that supporting a charity does not always have to mean huge events or difficult targets.

Putting the fun in Fundraising

Runner Gemma Louise embraced fundraising in a fun and community-focused way, organising bake sales at work, hosting a charity family brunch and even selling unwanted toys to help raise money for BASICS Essex.

Her efforts reflected the wider spirit of the marathon team, with supporters using everything from workplace events and sweepstakes to social media challenges and local community support to boost donations.

Kim Turner, Corporate and Community Fundraising Officer for BASICS Essex said: “We are incredibly proud of all of our London Marathon runners, to collectively raise more than £45,000 is simply phenomenal.

“What makes this so special is the personal dedication behind every story — whether that’s someone taking on their first marathon, celebrating a milestone birthday, running as a family or finding creative and fun ways to fundraise in their local community.

“Our volunteer clinicians dedicate their own time to helping critically ill and injured patients across Essex, often in the most challenging circumstances imaginable. The support shown by our runners and fundraisers directly helps us continue that life-saving work.”

The charity hopes the success of this year’s marathon team will encourage more people to consider taking on future fundraising challenges — with organisers keen to highlight that fundraising can be enjoyable, flexible and built around everyday activities and hobbies.

The charity also has a handful of London Marathon Spaces left for 2027. You can apply here