A MOORS Valley Country Park ranger has completed the London Marathon in memory of three special people.

Coral Atkinson, 42, completed the event in memory of her dad, Roy Atkinson, her former partner, Alex Latham, 34, and her friend, Martin Comper, 42, the latter of whom died a month before the event. 

Coral ran for British Heart Foundation after her dad died of a heart attack in 2015 and charity Motor Neurones Disease after both Alex and Martin died from the disease in 2015 and March 2024 respectively. 

She said: "All of them were massively on my mind during the run. There were places that I've been to with my dad when I lived in London that we visited I had to run through.

"My friend was an old school and college friend and I'd seen him run six years ago before he was diagnosed. At the funeral, they showed a picture of him running the marathon."

Martin's funeral was held on April 17, three days before the run which Coral said she found very tough. 

Martin died from MND in March and had previously told Coral he would cheer her on as she ran.

She said: "It was really difficult. He said he was going to track me and be watching me on the day and how proud he was that I was doing it and raising awareness for MND.

"In my mind when I was running, I was thinking he'd probably give anything to be able to run and do this so you can't give up. I always say remember your why."

The marathon was the first Carol has ever done and also the first time she had run more than 20 miles. 

Although her training was halted by a sprained ankle, she was fully prepared for the run and powered on by the 'positivity and energy' of the event. 

She said: "There's so much positivity and energy in the crowd that when you start to feel tired, all it takes is somebody shouting you name and you start going again."

To donate, visit Coral's JustGiving page.