Katie Flatters from Coppenhall, Staffordshire, will be fulfilling a lifelong ambition next Sunday (April 28) when she runs the London Marathon for the first time. She has set herself the target not only of completing the course in under four hours but of raising £2,500 for Children’s Liver Disease Foundation, a cause very close to her heart.
“My wonderful sister, Claire was born with the rare liver disease, biliary atresia,” explains Katie. She lived life to the full and we were all blessed to have had her sparkle in our lives however in July 2002 just before her 17th birthday, she suddenly lost her fight.
“So I’m joining Children’s Liver Disease Foundation London Marathon team both to raise awareness of childhood liver disease and to raise funds so that this charity can support other families who are affected and fund research so that one day there will be a cure for children like my sister.
“As lead physio for the GB Paralympian cycling team, and previous participant in the Iron Man challenge, 30 year- old Katie is fit but admits that training for the Marathon has been tough. “It’s more painful that Iron Man training as that was spread over swimming and cycling too whereas now it’s all about clocking up the miles. However, this is something I have always wanted to do and three of my colleagues from British Cycling are doing it with me so that will help.”
Alison Taylor, Chief Executive of Children’s Liver Disease Foundation commented: “CLDF is the only UK charity dedicated to fighting all childhood liver diseases, by providing information and emotional support, funds for research and a voice for all those affected. In order to do this however, we rely almost entirely on voluntary donations, so we’re delighted that Katie is doing the London Marathon for us. It’s a huge commitment in terms of time and training but what a wonderful thing to do in memory of her sister. We’ll be there cheering her on and hope that her first London Marathon is a fantastic experience.”
You can support Katie’s London Marathon challenge by clicking HERE.
For more information on CLDF visit childliverdisease.org.
