The rain couldn’t dampen the spirit of Eva Georgiou, who completed the London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April.

Eva, ESG and Engagement Manager at NRS, completed the gruelling 26.2-mile race in four hours, 49 minutes and 25 seconds, raising money for Blesma, The Limbless Veterans.

She said:

“I really feel so proud to have completed the marathon. I am so sore, but really happy! I honestly didn’t know how much of it I would be able to run, but once I got to the 20-mile point, I knew I couldn’t let myself walk. The last six miles was the hardest running I have ever done and the last mile felt like it took an hour.”

More than 45,000 people took part in this, the 43rd London Marathon, with many thousands more lining the capital’s streets to offer support.

Eva said:

“The atmosphere was incredible. I loved the crowd, the music and high fiving so many kids along the route. I struggled the whole way, and once I got to 10 miles, my ankles, feet, knees and hips were so sore. Seeing Blesma’s cheer stand at 17 miles was a massive booster and made me feel quite emotional. My partner Louis also ran all over trying to see me. I got high fives from him at six, 16, 20 miles and on the finish line. Seeing his happy face cheering me on was sup uplifting. I cried when the finish line came into view and once finished, I had an immense feeling of relief and couldn’t believe I had run the entire length of the course without stopping to walk.”

Eva said at the start of her marathon journey, she was not a runner. However, she was determined to undertake the challenge to raise money for a charity, which she believed was such an important one.

Blesma, which is a partner charity of NRS Healthcare, supports all serving ex-service men and women who have lost limbs, or the use of limbs or eyes, to rebuild their lives by providing rehabilitation activities and welfare support.

Chris Knight, Corporate and Regional Fundraising Manager for Blesma, said:

“We are all incredibly proud of Eva, not only for representing Blesma in this year’s London Marathon but also for the funds she’s raised so far, for our Association. Eva has gone above and beyond for Blesma; we’re very lucky to have such an incredible person support our charity. Eva agreed to be part of Team Blesma in late January, which only gave her 12 weeks to train for the event. This makes her achievements in completing the marathon with a sub five-hour time and raising more than £3,000 even more remarkable. Thank you Eva, from us all at Blesma. You are a star.”

Eva said she is incredibly grateful to everyone who has already donated. There is still time to make your donation, by heading to her fundraising page here.