A RUNNER who completed the London Marathon has thanked the “gentle encouragement” of a mystery supporter who she would see during training sessions on the dale’s roads.
Gill Walker, from Manfield, entered the ballot and won a place in the marathon.
“My training usually consisted of running from home towards Barney. During these lonely runs, I saw lots of cyclists and I often saw a lady near Wycliffe,” she said.
“She would be walking her dog from Ovington. sometimes I would stop and have a brief chat. Her dog was called Monty, but I never got her name.
“I just wanted to find a way to let her know I did the marathon and to thank her. Her gentle encouragement and praise for what I was doing meant so much.”
Ms Walker raised money for Dementia Revolution, the marathon’s chosen charity, in memory of her mum.
“She was diagnosed with vascular dementia in her 60s and I saw her disappear in from of my eyes before her death about ten years later,” she said.
Ms Walker began running about 14 years ago during a camping trip to France and has since completed 13 Great North Runs, but this was her first full marathon.
