Local runner completes London Marathon in memory of his brother

05 November 2021

Karl Rushen, 49, ran 26.2 miles around the Capital in October to raise money for SSAFA but is not stopping there.

He has already completed the Berlin, London, Chicago, Boston, and Tokyo Marathons and is planning to run the New York marathon in Next year as part of the World Marathon Majors.

Karl, who is Head of Digital Delivery at COWI UK, decided to raise money for SSAFA as a tribute to his late brother, Lloydy, who was killed on active service in Afghanistan in 2011.

He served with the Royal Signals (Airborne), the Royal Engineers (EOD) and the Parachute Regiment and was less than a month into his third operational tour of Afghanistan before being killed by small arms fire.

The Virgin Money London Marathon took place on Sunday 3 October 2021, beginning near Blackheath in Greenwich and finishing at Buckingham Palace.

Karl, who is running to mark the 10th anniversary of Lloydy’s death, said: “This is my fifth London Marathon raising money for SSAFA, but next year I’ll be completing my World Marathon Majors Six Star Journey in New York when the US opens up again, all being well.”

Karl added: “This year’s London Marathon was tough, as I hadn’t been able to train due to injuries. However, it gave me the chance to enjoy the experience more. Usually, I’m focused on my time and forget to ‘enjoy’ the full race experience. In essence it’s probably the race I’m most proud of, as I really hadn’t trained for it. It was my slowest marathon to date, but the mental resilience was very much intact to grind it out, and that’s all that mattered. For me it’s simple, it just helps keep Lloydy’s light burning, and that means everything. This year all the funds raised will go to SSAFA.”