Marathon Fundraising for Nickel Support

Rosie and Anna will be running the York Marathon to raise money for Nickel Support in October. We are so grateful to them for their support! Read more about their running journey below.

Support Anna and Rosie

Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?

Rosie and I are both 24 and we've always been really sporty. We grew up playing a lot of netball and have been running for years. We're both physiotherapists and love pushing ourselves - we ran our first marathon last year and got hooked, so we're back for another one!

How long have you been running? Have you always been runners?

We’ve both always been active and played a lot of sport growing up, especially netball. We did a bit of athletics at school but took a break from running for a while. We picked it back up at university and haven’t stopped since!

Have you run a marathon before? If so, where and when?

Yes — we ran the Manchester Marathon last year. It was tough but amazing, and it definitely gave us the marathon bug!

Is there a time you’re hoping to achieve, or is it more about just finishing?

We’re both aiming to beat our previous marathon times. We’re competitive with ourselves and love a challenge!

Are you nervous, excited, or both?

Definitely a mix of both! The nerves are part of the excitement though.

Are you following a training schedule?

Yes, we’re following a structured plan that includes long runs, intervals, strength training, and HIIT sessions. Training has been challenging but really enjoyable, especially doing it together. We’re currently about halfway through the plan, and we’ve got our longest training run yet — 30km — coming up this weekend! We’re training together, which makes a huge difference. It’s so much more fun 

Have you had any injuries so far?

Touch wood — no injuries so far! We’re doing our best to stay on top of recovery.

Are you following a particular diet or doing anything differently to prepare (e.g. early nights, nutrition, massages)?

We make sure to carb-load before long runs and use energy gels during to keep our energy up. Hydration is key too! With full-time jobs, we try to prioritise early nights when we can.

What’s on your running playlist — if you listen to music?

It’s a mix! Sometimes it’s music, sometimes a podcast — but for our long runs, we usually just chat the whole way!

Do you have any pre-race rituals or lucky charms?

Our go-to pre-race meal is porridge, a bagel, and a banana 

What will you do to celebrate after the marathon?

Definitely go out for a meal and lots of Prosecco!

What made you choose to run for Nickel Support?

We’re running the York Marathon to raise money for Nickel Support so they can continue the amazing work they do. We want to help raise awareness of the vital support they provide to young adults with learning disabilities and/or autism and help them reach even more people.

Do you have a personal connection to Nickel Support?

Yes — our mum, Kelly, works for Nickel Support as the Initial Referrals Manager, so we’ve seen first-hand how important and impactful their work is.

Is there anywhere in particular you'd like the money to be spent? What do you hope it achieves?

We just want to raise as much as possible and trust that Nickel will use the funds wherever they’re most needed to support their trainees. 

Support Anna and Rosie