Marathons have taken on a special interest in the last few years for Diespeker, see our trips to Southampton and Malta in the last few years, and 2023 is no different.
In fact two of our team will be running in the prestigious London marathon this year!
John’s 200th marathon
We occasionally share news of the exploits of Diespeker MD John Krause, who travels the world to take part in marathons, duathlons, triathlons and Iron Man races. This one is extra special! John is running in his 200th marathon, a real milestone achievement. What’s more, it’s the London Marathon, bringing his running career full circle as this was the very first marathon John took part in, 23 years ago in 2000.
“It was only supposed to be one marathon, aimed to help me get over a bit of a mid-life crisis and raise funds for Diabetes UK in support of my niece, Sam. I didn’t even like running. Yet here I am in 2023 preparing for number 200 – and I still don’t like running!”
In recognition of that first run, John is again fundraising for Diabetes UK with a modest aim to raise £2,100. We all hope he’ll smash his target.
Over the past 23 years, John has run in, amongst others, New York, Berlin, Sydney, Toronto, Queenstown, Seville, Amsterdam, Malta, Barbados, China, plus many locations across the UK. His fastest time was 3:08 in the 2015 London Marathon. John has also represented Great Britain in a number of long distance races.
David’s 1st marathon
Meanwhile, at the other end of the marathon scale is Diespeker Foreman, David Batt. David is also running the London Marathon, but for him this will his very first full marathon.
He explains that he’s been running a lot recently and was approached by a neighbour who’d seen him out and about. A charity slot had come free for Fight for Sight, which has a mission to prevent sight loss through its pioneering research.
“The charity is very relevant to me and my family. My dad’s mum lost her sight, and my mum’s dad became partially sighted. Another connection is through Fight for Sight’s Tommy Salisbury Choroideremia Fund which supports research into choroideremia. Tommy lives locally to me. After my neighbour explained the story, I couldn’t say no!”
Good luck for April 23rd John for your 200th and David for your 1st marathon – from all the team here at Diespeker. Links to donate to either cause are below!
