By Saara Jaffery-Roberts
Not content with running one gruelling 26.1 mile course at the London Marathon tomorrow, one council employee is to complete two marathons in two days.
Joe Derrett, head of media at Lambeth council, will run the full London marathon course through the capital tomorrow, before getting up the next day to do the whole thing again.
He will be running for the London Community Foundation which raises vital funds to support local charities in Lambeth, like the Ebony Horse Club in Brixton.
One his second run, he will start from St James Park and end in Greenwich. The feat is made all the more impressive by the fact that Derrett suffers from Type One diabetes.
When asked why he is running twice he said “I decided to do the second marathon for a challenge and to encourage more donations. I’ve done some checking and I don’t think anyone has done it before and I’m hoping it’ll catch on next year!”
Derrett added: “I’m pretty apprehensive, but looking forward to Sunday especially. Having type 1 diabetes, the 2nd leg is going to take a little guesswork about keeping my blood sugar levels up while I’m running. Luckily I’ve got a team of friends from work every 4 or 5 miles along the way with water and cakes.”
As this will be Derrett’s 6th marathon, he says that he is looking forward to the crowds and the brilliant feeling to get to the home straight in St James Park knowing that there are only a few more metres to go.
Derrett’s last London run was in 2008 where he ran the course in 3 hours 31 minutes. He is aiming for 4 hours on Sunday, and allowing himself 5 hours on Monday.
He will be live tweeting the second marathon at #2marathons2days.
Help Joe reach his target of £2000 and support the London Community Foundation. You can make a donation here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=joederrett&faId=296685&isTeam=false
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