Air ambulance marathon runner receives pep talk from Sir Mo Farah

Well that’s exactly what happened to Lincolnshire marathon runner Andy Ayre, who received the ultimate encouragement from Sir Mo Farah prior to the start of his London Marathon, which he was running for the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance.

Andy said he knew it would spur him on to cross the finishing line: “By chance I was staying in the same hotel on the eve of the London Marathon as the

professional athletes.

“Sir Mo was happy to give up his time and talk to me and my family. He high-fived my children and chatted with them about which football team they supported.

"He also asked me about my marathon race and wished me the very best of luck.

"He was most personable, an inspirational athlete who has inspired a generation with such genuine humility.”

Andy was one of nine runners who took on the gruelling 26-mile London Marathon on Sunday (April 23) in aid of Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA), and together raised over £23,000 for the charity’s life-saving work.

LNAA Events Lead, Georgia Watson, said: “Our runners are an amazing group of people who, for a variety of reasons, chose to run the race in support of our work. The money they have raised will help keep our crew operational, delivering emergency treatment to people in our communities when they need it most.”

LNAA’s next challenge event challenge, 10k in May, is open for registration: https://www.ambucopter.org.uk/events/6kaday/