A former student of Harrogate Grammar School was amongst the ten thousand or so who completed the Leeds Marathon on May 10th. Second year Leeds Beckett sports and exercise student Theo Levine completed the course in four hours and seven minutes.
Theo said:
I was proud of my performance.
I grew up in Harrogate but now live in a shared student house in Headingley. One advantage is that trains back to Harrogate are quite frequent. I know Leeds well and I’m certain that I’m not the only one drawn to the marathon as a way of getting more involved in the local community as well as providing a fundraising opportunity.
This was not just my first marathon but in fact my first organised sports event. I’d played football regularly and then last year had quite a bad ankle sprain and needed physio to get it sorted.
The long and the short is that my physio Jack Bright waved a magic wand and then suggested I consider the marathon. He’s helped me prepare by planning training runs, getting the times and distances right and devising a gym plan to avoid injury. I couldn’t have done it without him.
I was flying at the start, achieving personal bests at the half marathon distance and at the 30k mark. Then the steep hill out of Otley was horrible. I got through it somehow but then cramped up in both my hamstrings from Adel on the way back to Headingley.
About 18 months ago and just as eighteen-year-old me was getting established at university, my mum Liane suffered a stroke aged 52. To say it was a worrying time is an understatement. She received excellent care mainly at Harrogate Hospital and fortunately made a full recovery with no lasting damage although there’s bound to be some ongoing anxiety.
The cause of the stroke remains unknown. All this led me to choose The Stroke Association as my charity and I’m proud I’ve raised £ 1770. Way above my target £ 500.
I love student life in Leeds. We’ve always supported the two great teams that are Leeds United and Leeds Rhinos and I admire Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow as role models. I’ve already signed up for the 2027 marathon.
Anyone wanting to support Theo’s fundraising can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/page/theo-levine-1.
