Soldiers and veterans will be pounding the streets of the capital this weekend as they compete in the 2025 TCS London Marathon on Sunday 27th April in support of the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF).
A third of the Army Benevolent Fund’s fantastic team of 88 runners at this year’s race are current and former Army personnel.
These include WO1 Jamie Pearson, the Command Sergeant Major (Comd SM) of Standing Joint Command (SJC) in Aldershot. Previously, he served as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Yorkshire Regiment, and as the Infantry Command Sergeant Major.
As SJC Comd SM, Jamie sits on the Army Benevolent Fund’s grants committee, which reviews requests for the charity’s support for other organisations helping soldiers, veterans and their families. This has given Jamie a unique insight into the value of ABF’s support.
Jamie says: “I find it very motivating to support the Army Benevolent Fund, which is the Army’s national charity. As a member of the ABF’s grant committee, I can see exactly how donations to the charity are spent and I have learnt about the many brilliant organisations that help our veterans, soldiers and their families. Witnessing the assistance the charity provides to soldiers, their families, and veterans is incredibly rewarding. You never know when you might need the ABF’s help.”
This is Jamie’s second Marathon for the ABF, and he plans to complete the Great South Run in October also in support of the charity. Before becoming SJC Comd SM last July, Jamie attended an international leadership course in Fort Bliss, Texas. His extensive network of contacts from around the world has supported his marathon efforts, with donations coming from senior soldiers in countries such as the USA, Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Czech Republic, and many more.
Jamie will be joined on Sunday by Lance Corporal Thomas Hayward, serving with 24 Commando Logistic Regiment. Thomas, who joined the Army at 29 and was inspired by a fellow soldier to support the ABF, has never run a Marathon.
Thomas says: “Although it has been a bit challenging to fit in some training around my Army service, I usually focus on why running this Marathon is important to me, which helps me get through it. I enjoy physical activity, so signing up for this just made sense. The support has been brilliant.”
Also on the team is Sergeant Jay Wharton Jones who joined the Army in 2004, serving in the First Battalion Scots Guards. Jay sustained injuries during both of his two tours in Afghanistan and left the Army, but later rejoined and is now based at Catterick Garrison.
Jay says:” The Army is all I had wanted to be since the age of 14 and so I returned to the military. I’ve always wanted to experience the buzz and the atmosphere and to run the London Marathon, so I entered last year’s ballot.”
Jay chose to run the Marathon for the ABF because he has witnessed the charity’s work firsthand. He experienced the loss of a few service members while on tour in Afghanistan and has seen how ABF’s support has helped their loved ones throughout this difficult period.
Former Army Officer, John Rawdon-Mogg was also inspired by his service in Afghanistan to join the ABF’s Marathon team. John served from 2008 until 2015, as an officer in The Household Calvary. He was deployed to Afghanistan on Op Herrick 13, at the same time as his twin, who was in the Territorial Army. From this experience he wants to highlight the ongoing importance of mental health support for veterans following their discharge from the services.
Despite recent knee surgery, John is looking forward to the event. As a third-generation ABF supporter, whose grandfather, a General and WW2 veteran, was the President of the ABF in the 1970s, John says: “If ever there was a charity I would run a Marathon for, it’s the ABF – it’s a cause that’s close to my heart. “
Peter Monteith, Chief Operating Officer at the Army Benevolent Fund, added: “With the 80th anniversary of VE Day approaching, we are grateful for all the efforts of our incredible team of runners preparing to take part in the London Marathon. It is only thanks to Jamie, Jay, Thomas and their fellow fundraisers that the Army Benevolent Fund is able to offer a lifetime of support to soldiers, veterans and their families. We wish them the best of luck.”