TWO friends from the Highampton area will be among the thousands of competitors lining up at the start of next month?s Flora London marathon. Judith Anstey and Nikki Siddall warmed up for the prestigious marathon which takes place on Sunday, April 17, by taking part in the Bideford half-marathon recently. Both performed well with Nikki even posting a personal best time. Judith and Nikki are running to raise money for CLIC ? they are running in memory of a local boy called Walter John Chapman who died 14 years ago at the age of eight. Judith said she had set herself the target finishing time of four and a half hours, which she felt was a good average time to aim for. ?We are just hoping for perfect conditions on the day.? This will be Nikki?s first ever marathon, but she will have support from Judith, who is a veteran of the marathons in London in 2002 and Paris in 2003. Judith from Highampton and Nikki from Sheepwash have been taking in training runs around the area since Christmas in preparation for the big race. Judith said: ?Training is going really well; sometimes it can be hard to push yourself but you have to.? Judith and Nikki are big fans of the Ruby Run between Hatherleigh and Holsworthy and will be taking part in the third annual race this June, as they have in the two previous editions. As part of their training regime, the pair are running another 20 miles later this month from Fremington to Petrockstowe. Anyone who would like to sponsor the pair can contact Judith on 01409 231323 or Nikki 01409 231509.
