Paul Day, Managing Director of Filestream, a leading document management specialist based in Berkshire, completed the 2025 TCS London Marathon and raised over £4,000 for Helen & Douglas Children’s Hospice.

This year’s London marathon was a record-breaking one! It set a new Guinness World Record for the number of finishers on Sunday, 27^th April.

London’s 45^th annual marathon saw over 56 thousand runners cross the finish line, including Paul Day from Filestream, who took part in his first marathon for charity.

“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” Paul said. “I’ve only ever done a couch to 5k and a park run in Dinton. This was an incredible challenge; I was really putting my body to the test.”

Julia Woodcock, Community and Event Manager from Helen & Douglas Children’s Hospice, commented on Paul completing the marathon.

“I hope that Paul feels immensely proud of what he achieved on Sunday. Not only did he complete the TCS London Marathon in very hot, difficult conditions, but he also raised over £4,000  – and rising – for the hospice. An amount like this could fund the costs to maintain our sensory and therapeutic garden for a year, ensuring an engaging and calming environment for children and their families.

Our 2025 London Marathon runners have now collectively raised in excess of £124,000, an extraordinary amount of money. We are so grateful to Paul and his fellow runners for their dedication and perseverance.”

The unexpected heat on the day meant that runners ran under very hot conditions, which they were not expecting. To combat this, fire fighters and visitors sprayed runners with sprinklers, so runners could travel through a mist of cool water at various points en route.

“The atmosphere was amazing. The crowd cheered me on, and the sense of community from other runners kept me going. It felt like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” Paul commented.

“By the 22^nd mile, I hit ‘the wall’. It was like my body didn’t want to carry on. If it wasn’t for the crowd, I wouldn’t have made it. I still don’t know how I kept going.

“When I crossed the finish line, it hit me that I had completed a marathon. I had proven to that I can challenge myself and succeed, all whilst raising money for charity. It was extremely emotional.”

This is not the first time Paul has taken on a charity challenge. In 2023, he participated in the world’s first-ever Skyscraper Challenge in London, running up more than 1,000 stairs of The Cheesegrater, all for charity.

“If you are ever thinking of running the London Marathon and can do it, try it! Train and put the work in. I got to do something I never thought I would do. It’s the ultimate challenge,” Paul said.

Over 500,000 people applied for the ballot to take part in the London Marathon this year and around ten per cent were successful. For Helen & Douglas Children’s Hospice, Paul has currently raised over £4000, smashing his original target of £2,500.

He said, “I am so proud to support a local charity providing critical care and support for children and their families during the hardest times of their lives.”

To continue to support Paul and contribute to Helen & Douglas House, please visit his fundraising page: https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/paul-day.