Dougie builds back his fitness for Happy Faces charity bid at the London Marathon.
*Pictured above - Dougie Graham battled injury and he is now ready for action.
Dougie builds back his fitness for Happy Faces charity bid at the London Marathon...
Special report by Don Hale.
Popular runner and charity fundraiser Dougie Graham has faced a problematic time battling with injuries over this past year, but he has been steadily building back his fitness in readiness for another attempt to run the London Marathon for a worthy cause in 2026.
His heroic efforts were unfortunately curtailed earlier this year when he collected a niggling injury that sidelined him for many months, yet this didn’t stop him from volunteering and marshalling at many local parkruns and other events.
Now a member of Dalzell Runners, North Wales Road Runners, and still a member of Black Cloak Runners, Dougie is making a slow but steady comeback attempt, and he has been using a treadmill at times to ease his pain, before completing a few test events, including the Liverpool half-marathon, the Caernarfon half-marathon - and at the time of writing - he was hoping to run in the Bangor half, and also has plans to run the Conwy half in November.
Dougie trained hard with several friends in the lead up to the 2025 London event during a fundraising challenge for the Happy Faces Cancer Charity before having to withdraw with injury, but he has now set his sights on completing this task for them in 2026.
He explained: “It’s been pretty quiet with missing my training with Dalzell Runners on Wednesday nights, and running regularly at parkruns, but I didn’t want to trigger another injury!
“So, I have been taking it easy, and training on a treadmill, plus I really enjoy parkrun volunteering. I have since taken part though in several half-marathons, and I am looking forward to the Conwy Half, which will help towards next year’s London Marathon.”
*Dougie Graham is pictured above - training with his daughter Angelika.
Dougie also confirmed: “Summit Branding, based in Llandudno Junction, and jointly run by a local runner, have been very kind with going to the effort of designing a T-shirt with 26 people who have inspired me on the back of the shirt, so I can complete a mile for the change they made to other people’s lives.” *See photo below.
And he added: “It was great to see three friends - Pete Brocklehurst, Jon Hayward and Dylan Williams - who I trained with for the 2025 London Marathon, successfully complete their own London Marathon journey, so I have some unfinished business, to help share and promote the hard work Happy Faces do for children locally and around North Wales.”
*Dougie has just set up a JustGiving fundraising page (*see below) for his London Marathon 2026 attempt in which he confirmed:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/douglas-graham-1713983986592
I will be running the London Marathon for the first time in April 2026! I was injured in the weeks leading to London 2025, but Happy Faces have been kind enough to defer my charity place to 2026. I will be raising money for this local charity based in Llandrillo-yn-Rhos.
Happy Faces raise funds to support sick, disabled, and disadvantaged children in North Wales. It's fully dependant on its amazing volunteers that give their time, support and skills for free. They have been able to provide equipment and fund trips for a large number of children over the years, which has made a huge positive difference to their lives.
*Flashback to March 2025 (*above), with Dougie Graham and his colleagues Pete Brocklehurst, Jon Hayward and Dylan Wiliams, as they prepared for the London Marathon outside of the Happy Faces Cancer Charity shop at Rhos on Sea.
Please donate and support Dougie Graham in raising as much money as possible for Happy Faces. His target amount is £1,500. The fundraising will keep him motivated, and give him a boost, especially for when he starts his cold, winter training in the lead up to the London Marathon.
This is Dougie Graham’s JustGiving fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/douglas-graham-1713983986592
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So, it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
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