I britannici Laura Harvey e Paul Eliott, in occasione della Virgin Money London Marathon 2015, il prossimo 26 aprile, coroneranno la loro storia d'amore, celebrando il matrimonio proprio durante la maratona: uniti nell'amore, dunque, ma anche nella passione della corsa e, in più, sostenuti dal desiderio di far del bene. Infatti, si sono impegnati a raccogliere fondi a favore della Ricerca contro il Cancro, nella misura di almeno 5000 sterline.

Non sarà, tuttavia, un matrimonio volante, come si potrebbe pensare: infatti, ci carà una cerimonia nuziale con tutti i crismi, all'incirca a metà gara.

I due futuri sposi, infatti, hanno prenotato per la cerimonia nuziale, una cappella nei pressi di Saint Katharine Docks, dove sosteranno per 45 minuti, il tempo necessario per celebrare il matrimonio e, quindi, riprenderanno la loro corsa come marito e moglie, per poi reincontrasi con amici e parenti, soltanto dopo la fine della loro corsa.
Ma non sono i primi ad averlo fatto. La tradizione è stata avviata nel 1999 da Mick Gambrill e Barbara Cole.

Auguri sentiti a Laura Harvey e a Paul Eliott!

(Testo inglese) For many, planning a wedding and training to complete the Virgin Money London Marathon would be too much to even contemplate doing at the same time. But that is exactly the challenge that Laura Harvey and Paul Elliott are undertaking, as they plan to marry during the race on Sunday 26 April.

The London couple, who are running to raise money for Cancer Research UK, are set to tie the knot around halfway through the race, with their ceremony booked at a licensed venue at St Katharine Docks for 12:45. This means the pair must cover the first 12.5 miles or so in under two hours 35 minutes, with the mass race beginning at 10:10.

After a 45-minute service, Laura, a physiotherapist, and Paul, a HR adviser, will hit the road again while their guests tuck in to lunch and watch the newly-weds run past again at the 22-mile mark. Once they cross the Finish Line in front of Buckingham Palace, the pair will head off to enjoy their wedding reception.

Paul, 41, says, “Everyone thinks it’s a bit mad, but we’re both sporty and wanted to do something different. My mum’s a bit worried as to whether I’ll firstly get to halfway and then to the Finish Line. Hopefully they won’t be waiting for too long.”

The couple are aiming to raise £5,000 for Cancer Research UK, the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon’s official charity, in honour of Paul’s father Mark, who died of bowel cancer in 1996.

In a bid to prevent their legs seizing up after stopping mid-marathon, the duo have been practising running 13 miles before stopping at Starbucks for an hour then continuing.

Laura will complete the race wearing a tennis dress gown while Paul will don a suit top, leggings and top hat.

The 34-year-old bride-to-be says, “We both love the London Marathon and wanted to do something different for our wedding. We thought it would be amazing to combine the two! We got engaged last May and are very grateful to Cancer Research UK and the London Marathon for helping us make this happen”.

Laura and Paul form part of Cancer Research UK’s largest ever marathon team, who are aiming to raise £2.5 million in order to help build The Francis Crick Institute, a world leading centre of biomedical research due for completion later this year.

The first couple to get married during the London Marathon were Mick Gambrill and Barbara Cole in 1999.