A dad has been raising money by challenging himself and taking on the Valencia Marathon.

Iain Burgess of Llandudno Junction, recently ran the Valencia Marathon, having only ever ran one marathon before almost 15 years ago!

He self-funded his Spanish mission after being touched by the work the work we do in the community.

The reason

He shared: “I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a child with a life-threatening condition and what families would face day-to-day.

“I really wanted to show support for Hope House Tŷ Gobaith.

“I decided to start fundraising and through my training for the Valencia Marathon, took part in races around North Wales to kickstart the sponsorship.

“My employer, RWE very kindly match-funded me pound for pound up to £500 which was very generous and helped massively towards our total.

“I have only ever run one marathon before back in 2012 and clocked a time of 4hrs 9min – my goal is to knock an hour off this.”

Good time

Iain raised an impressive £1,619 and finished the race in 3 hours flat.

He visited Tŷ Gobaith in early January for a tour of the facilities and to present his cheque.

Our fundraiser, Sian Golding, was there to greet him and said: “Without people like Iain, life would be much harder for so many local families who raise a child with a life-threatening condition.

“Every penny he raised with his brilliant effort will help us make quality moments and memories for our families and help us keep providing the vital respite parents need.

“A huge thanks to Iain and RWE for the match-funding.

“You’re stars.”

The Valencia Marathon is renowned as one of the fastest in the world, with many entrants finishing in under 3 hours

Iain enjoyed it so much that he has even signed up to do it again this winter – good luck Iain.

Could you take on a marathon?

Have you always wanted to get your hands on a marathon medal? Now is your chance! We have limited places available for the virtual 2026 London Marathon and we would love for you to join our team and run the 26.2 miles your way! Find out more by clicking the link below.

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