Grays dad of teen killed in horrific motorbike crash runs 16 mile London Marathon with injury in his memory

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https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-n ... ed-7649858

The legend still made it in to work as a postman on Monday, despite feeling 'rather sore'

A dad from Essex, who ran the London Marathon in memory of a son he lost to a horror motorbike crash in 2016, has managed to finish the race in spite of a calf injury - and still make it to work the next day. Jamie Benton is a postman in Grays who was back on the job bright and early on Monday, October 3, despite getting injured in the gruelling challenge the day before.

Despite picking up a nasty calf injury on the 16th mile of the marathon on Sunday, October 2, Jamie managed to finish the race in under six hours, clocking a time of five hours, 52 minutes and 34 seconds. He was motivated by a bigger purpose to finish though, as it was all to raise money for the charity which was there for him during the worst time of his life.

He managed to raise a huge £2,500 for the Sick Children's Trust, which holds a special place in his heart, and has run the marathon once before to raise money for Essex Air Ambulance. Jamie's sons Jimmy and Joe were involved in the Grays accident when they were aged 17 and 16 respectively, and while the younger only suffered a fractured knee, Jimmy was airlifted to hospital with a serious head injury.

The doctors only gave Jimmy a one percent chance of survival but, after four months of specialist care, he was discharged. While Joe made a full recovery, Jimmy sadly passed away 14 months later from the injuries he suffered at the accident. During this difficult time, Jamie and his family were supported by the Sick Children's Trust, who provided them with lodgings near the Royal London Hospital.

Both of his sons were in hospital for some time and Jamie was able to stay at Stevenson House free of charge during that time, not having to worry about a long commute to see his kids. "I was offered a place to stay right next door to The Royal London Hospital and this took a massive amount of pressure off me," he admitted.

"I didn’t have to commute from our home in Grays, which was 25 miles away, to be with Jimmy and Joe and we could just focus on their recovery. Without The Sick Children’s Trust and Stevenson House I wouldn’t have been able to be so close to Jimmy and Joe at a very stressful and emotional time.

"I wanted to run the London Marathon to raise money for the Air Ambulance and The Sick Children’s Trust to repay the gratitude I have for both of these wonderful charities. While I’ve completed a marathon before I wouldn’t exactly call myself a runner. I’ve always been quite sporty though." Before the race, he added: "I’m looking forward to Sunday and raising as much as I can for this great charity."

The dad ran the London Marathon for the Sick Children's Trust, after running it for Essex Air Ambulance previously (Image: Jamie Benton)
Amazingly, Jamie's fundraising efforts will support other families for 625 nights, as the Homes from Home scheme costs the charity £40 to support just one family for one night. After the race he added: "The best part of the marathon was seeing the finish line.

"It was a great day and I’m so pleased with the amount I have been able to raise to support the Sick Children’s Trust. I was rather sore the next day, but was back at work Monday morning doing my deliveries as a postman. It was a great day that I really enjoyed."

Community Fundraising Manager, Elisa Coppello-Dowd, said: "It was such tragic circumstances that brought Jamie to stay at Stevenson House, but we are glad we were able to support him so he could stay as close as possible to Jimmy and Joe during this difficult time. We can’t thank Jamie enough for his support by taking on the London Marathon to raise money to support our ‘Homes from Home’.

"While it is completely free for a family to stay in our ‘Homes from Home’, it does cost the charity £40 to support a family for one night. That is why the generosity of our supporters and the efforts of fundraisers like Jamie are so vital in making sure we can continue to be there supporting more families."

To donate to Jamie's fundraiser visit his Just Giving page here.https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jamie-benton