Kieron’s marathon effort

A teacher from Costessey Primary has impressed his pupils by completing the London Marathon.

Kieron Goreham completed the run in 2 hours and 45 minutes, enduring hot temperatures on the run.

He is the latest member of staff to complete the race, which means that all PE teachers in the school have now run the London Marathon.

Kieron only began running in 2023, in memory of his Nanny, and to raise money for a former pupil.

“When I was younger, I used to watch the London Marathon every year with my Nanny,” he said.

“She sadly passed away in 2021 from cancer and was also in the early stages of dementia, but I remember telling her one day that I would run the London Marathon myself.

“I first got into running in 2023 when I wanted to raise money for a former pupil. She had started her own charity for the NHS cancer ward while undergoing treatment for leukaemia herself. Inspired by her courage, bravery and determination, I trained for and ran the Brighton Marathon in a time of 3:15:55.

“Thinking about her strength helped me get through the challenging days of training.

“From there I set myself the goal of gaining a place in the London Marathon.”

To qualify, Kieron needed to shave around 25 minutes off his Brighton time. With a lot of training, he ran the Milton Keynes Marathon in 2:47 and the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:44. Those performances secured him a Good for Age place for the 2026 London Marathon.

“I had hoped to run under 2:40, but the conditions were tough,” added Kieron.

“Crossing Tower Bridge was an incredible moment and one I will never forget, and running past the Cutty Sark was equally special.

“The atmosphere throughout London was unbelievable – there was a real sense of joy and togetherness everywhere. I’d love to return in 2027 and achieve that sub-2:40 goal.”

Running for Dementia UK in memory of his Nanny, Kieron raised £450.

“Wearing their vest gave me extra motivation, especially in the tougher moments of the race, reminding me why I was doing it,” he said.

“As I was the last member of our PE team to complete the London Marathon, the support from colleagues who had already done it was invaluable. Their advice on travel, the course, and race-day preparation, as well as their encouragement, made a big difference.

“If there’s one thing I’ve taken from this experience, it’s that even if you think you can’t do something, give it a go. You might just surprise yourself.”