Kate Flory, 31 from Wimbledon, bravely ran her second London Marathon on Sunday in 6hrs in support of  veterinary research charity, the Animal Health Trust (AHT). Kate raised £1,120.00 which will help the AHT to continue its vital work which helps countless dogs, cats and horses live healthier, happier lives.

Kate sadly lost her Golden Retriever Tia in 2012 to cancer, aged just six years old. Since then Kate and her family have become dedicated supporters of the AHT.

In 2014 Kate and her sister Lucy, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, raising over £6,000. The following year Kate ran the London Marathon for the first time in support of the AHT and Kate has risen to the challenge to run the marathon a second time for the charity.

Speaking about her motivation, Kate said: “I want to raise as much money as I can to support the AHT’s work, in particular their cancer research and treatment for kidney disease. I first began supporting the AHT after my dog, Tia, died from cancer very suddenly in 2012. I quickly learned a lot about how prolific cancer is in dogs, and indeed my other dog, Evie, was also treated for a mast cell tumour last year, but fortunately made a full recovery. I then had the misfortune of learning a lot about kidney disease in dogs when my dog Ginny diagnosed with kidney disease at just eight months old. She’s four now and doing really well! Both Evie and Ginny have certainly helped me a lot in my training and motivated me to get to the finish line!”

Andrew Simmonds, Head of Individual Giving from the Animal Health Trust, said: “Kate did a tremendous job running this year’s London Marathon and raised a significant amount for the AHT in the process, so a huge well done and thank you to her for all her hard work and dedication. This isn’t her first time taking on the marathon for the AHT either, so her commitment to our cause really is inspiring and we’re really grateful to Kate for her efforts.

“The AHT was lucky to have six runners take on the Marathon this year in total, all of which with their own personal connection to the charity through treatment of their own pets, or passion for veterinary medicine. We are so grateful for their huge commitment to training and fundraising, especially in our 75th anniversary year.
“Together our runners have raised almost £11,500, which will benefit so many animals as this helps us continue our vital research into improving treatments, discovering cures, and, where possible, preventing disease and injury from occurring in the first instance.”
If you have been inspired by Kate and want to run the London Marathon on behalf of the AHT next year, please contact our events team at events@aht.org.uk

Article supplied by Sarah Klimowicz