London Marathon runners from Dover and Dartford raise funds in 2026

Key points

• A man from Kent, Rob Brady of Dover, is running the London Marathon in memory of his best friend, Chris Quenby, who died by suicide 10 years ago.
• Brady has since spoken in schools about mental health and will be fundraising for East Kent Mind through the marathon and other endurance events.
• Brady has said: “Every step I run with Chris in my heart… This isn’t just about fundraising; it’s about keeping his memory alive, encouraging open conversations, and reminding people they’re never alone.”
• In tribute to Quenby, Brady plans to complete three challenges this year: the London Marathon, the 24‑hour Endure24 race (a series of 8 km loops), and a five‑day ultra‑distance run along the Pembrokeshire coast.
• Brady carries a photograph of Quenby in his pocket during runs and listens to specific tracks to stay motivated, describing each event as being done in “Chris’ spirit.”
• The combined challenges are aimed at raising £10,000 in total for mental health and wellbeing charities this year.
• Separately, Jack Bailey of Dartford is running the London Marathon in support of his father, John Bailey, 62, from Swanley, who was diagnosed with a haemangioblastoma brain tumour after collapsing at home in July 2023.
• John Bailey was told he would die if the tumour was not removed and underwent a 12‑hour operation at King’s College Hospital after an MRI at Darent Valley Hospital revealed the growth.
• Jack Bailey said the disease “doesn’t discriminate” and that his father’s narrow survival was “very scary,” adding that the family feel “very lucky” to still have him.
• After the surgery, John Bailey relearnt to walk and use his hands and returned to work in April 2024; his son is now raising money for Brain Tumour Research (BTR) via the London Marathon.

London (Extra London News) April 25, 2026 – A man from Kent is running the London Marathon in memory of his best friend who died by suicide 10 years ago, while another Kent runner is tackling the same race to support his father after a life‑threatening brain‑tumour diagnosis.

Rob Brady, from Dover, is aiming to complete the 26.2‑mile route as part of a broader series of challenges dedicated to Chris Quenby, a close friend who ended his own life in February 2016. Since Quenby’s death, Brady has become an advocate for mental‑health awareness, speaking in schools and supporting local wellbeing initiatives, and he will now channel that advocacy into fundraising for East Kent Mind during the marathon.

Brady’s Marathon campaign is not framed as a one‑off event but as a planned triptych of endurance tests in 2026. Alongside the London Marathon, he intends to run the 24‑hour Endure24 race, which involves completing a series of 8 km loops, and to tackle a five‑day ultra‑distance challenge along the Pembrokeshire coastline, all in Quenby’s honour. Speaking about his motivation, Brady has said: “You have to have a purpose when it comes to doing long distance. Every challenge is taken on in Chris’ spirit.”

Why is this year’s marathon so personal for Rob Brady?

Rob Brady has described his forthcoming London Marathon as an emotional promise to his late best friend rather than merely a sporting ambition. As reported by BBC News, he stated:

“Every step I run with Chris in my heart. This isn’t just about fundraising; it’s about keeping his memory alive, encouraging open conversations, and reminding people they’re never alone.”

Those close to Brady have highlighted how Quenby’s loss redrawn the course of his life, prompting him to reassess his own mental wellbeing and to seek ways of helping others. In the years since, he has spoken to pupils in schools about mental‑health struggles, using his own story to normalise conversations that many young people find difficult to start.

Brady’s fundraising page for the Endure24 race also notes that he carries a photograph of Quenby in his pocket during runs and listens to specific tracks associated with his friend, treating each mile as a kind of conversation with the person he misses.

This ritual underscores how deeply intertwined the challenge is with his sense of grief and duty to keep Quenby’s impact visible in the community.

What are Brady’s targets and how much does he hope to raise?

Brady has set an ambitious financial target to accompany his physical challenges this year. Through the London Marathon and the two additional events, he aims to raise a combined total of £10,000 for mental‑health and social‑support charities, including East Kent Mind and the Keep Talking Services befriending project.

These charities focus on reducing loneliness and offering accessible listening and support services, aligning with Brady’s emphasis on talking openly about distress.

By tying his runs to concrete fundraising goals, he is attempting to turn grief into a measurable contribution to local wellbeing infrastructure.

How does Brady carry his friend’s memory on the route?

Brady has spoken repeatedly about the tangible ways he keeps Quenby present during his training and races. He has said that he often takes out his friend’s photograph mid‑run and that listening to certain tracks associated with Quenby helps him push through fatigue.

These habits echo comments he has shared in social‑media posts and on fundraising platforms, where he describes running the London Marathon as the fulfilment of a private promise made at the time of Quenby’s death.

In one such message, Brady wrote that he wanted to “keep going, even when it hurts,” framing endurance as a metaphor for resilience in the face of mental‑health pain.

How has the story of Brady’s run been covered by media?

Several outlets have highlighted Brady’s story in the run‑up to the London Marathon. BBC News has profiled him as a representative of the thousands of runners whose reasons for taking on the event are rooted in personal loss and advocacy rather than competition.

Local Kent coverage has also emphasised how Quenby’s death prompted Brady to re‑evaluate his own life and become a visible advocate for mental‑health awareness, including a wellbeing‑award nomination for his work with young people.

This framing underlines the way his marathon is being perceived not just as a sporting feat but as a public act of remembrance and education.

Why is Jack Bailey running the London Marathon?

Parallel to Brady’s story, Jack Bailey of Dartford is running the London Marathon to support his father, John Bailey, who was diagnosed with a haemangioblastoma brain tumour in 2023.

As reported by BBC News, John Bailey, 62, from Swanley, fell ill shortly after returning from a summer holiday in Lanzarote and collapsed at home, sustaining broken ribs and a head injury in the fall.

At Darent Valley Hospital, an MRI scan revealed the tumour, and doctors told the family that he would die if it was not removed. He was transferred to King’s College Hospital, where a 12‑hour operation succeeded in removing 99% of the growth.

How did the family experience the diagnosis and recovery?

Jack Bailey has described the period following his father’s collapse as one of profound fear. He told BBC News that seeing his usually self‑reliant father in such a vulnerable state was “very scary,” noting that his father “does everything himself” and rarely complains.

The family has framed survival as a stroke of luck, with Jack saying they “feel very lucky” still to have his father with them.

After the operation, John Bailey had to relearn basic functions such as walking and using his hands, undergoing months of rehabilitation before returning to work in April 2024.

Which charity is Jack Bailey supporting through the marathon?

Jack Bailey is raising money for Brain Tumour Research (BTR), a charity that funds research into better treatments and improved outcomes for people living with brain tumours. In his comments to BBC News, he stressed that brain‑tumour disease “doesn’t discriminate” and can affect people of all ages.

By running the London Marathon, he hopes to contribute both to direct research funding and to broader public awareness about how suddenly such diagnoses can change a family’s life.

Organisations such as Brain Tumour Research have previously highlighted marathon runners as key supporters in their fundraising campaigns, noting that athletic challenges can help draw attention to underfunded areas of cancer research.

How do these two runners’ stories fit into the wider event?

Brady and Bailey are among tens of thousands of participants in the London Marathon, yet their experiences reflect a common theme in coverage of the race: that many runners compete less for personal glory than for people they have lost or loved ones currently facing illness. Their stories are emblematic of how mass‑participation sport can become a platform for public‑health advocacy, whether around mental health or cancer research.