MARATHON fever has struck a Chelmsford running club.
Members of the Springfield Striders are training hard ready to take part in the London Marathon, just one part of a busy programme of marathons coming up for the club.
June Allen, 38, an assistant head teacher from Chelmer Village, will be running her fourth London Marathon after completing the 2012 race in two hours and 55 minutes, not far behind the 'elite' professional runners.
But she had quite a journey to get there after she collapsed from heat exhaustion on 21 miles the year before.
"I had to face quite a lot of demons to go back," said June, who temporarily lost her memory after collapsing in 2011. "I thought I'd never remember anything again. It took a long time to recover; I couldn't run again properly afterwards."
Last year, however, she overcame her fears and made it to the finish line. She said: "It was the best feeling ever to go through mile 21 knowing that's where I collapsed."
This year, June is raising money for a special cause very close to her heart.
Her godson Bailey Holden, six, of Rettendon, has cerebral palsy and needs a specialist car seat which costs in the region of £2,000. So far she has raised close to £900 of her £1,000 plus target to help with the cost.
Last year June was the 30th woman to finish but this year she hopes to do even better and complete the race in less than 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Another Strider getting ready to tackle the 26.2 mile course is Jan Schuster, 51, an occupational health adviser from Springfield who is raising money for the South West Thames Kidney Fund.
She was inspired to help the charity after her childhood friend's husband suffered kidney disease and her friend was able to successfully donate a kidney to him.
So far she has raised £258 towards her target of £500, which she hopes will help the charity to make medical advancements in the prevention and cure of renal problems.
This will be Jan's second London Marathon and third marathon in total after running the Halstead Marathon last year.
When asked about her training, she said: "It's been going to plan, but it's not been easy with the weather conditions we've had."
Running between 35 and 37 miles a week, including tough training in Somerset where the terrain is much hillier, has taken its toll and meant that her "legs have been getting tight".
Her main worry as the marathon approaches is "have I done enough?"
She is also trying to make sure that she doesn't pick up an injury or fall ill.
Despite this, she is looking forward to the atmosphere on the day of the marathon.
She said: "Everyone is really supportive all the way around, and there is music and entertainment so you don't have time to get bored!"
She hopes that all her hard work will help her to finish in her target time of four hours and 15 minutes.
First-time marathon runner Sarah Newton, 32, a buyer from Broomfield, is raising money for the Down's Syndrome Association.
Her nephew, Daniel, six, has Down's syndrome and she has already raised £1,000 of her £1,600 target for the cause.
The London Marathon is just part of a number of family challenges this year, as her mum and dad, Sally and Robert Peacock, 60 and 62, are running the British 10K London Run on July 14, and Sarah and her mum will also be taking part in the Great North Run on the September 15.
Sarah's husband Mark is an experienced marathon runner, and Sarah, who will be running in a bright green tutu, said: "He's been giving me pearls of wisdom, and he's told me not to get too stressed and just to enjoy it."
Running around 40 miles a week to try and help her achieve her goal of finishing the marathon in under five hours, she said that she feels "permanently tired", and "excited, but nervous" as April 21 creeps closer.
You can find out more about the Springfield Striders on their website www.springfieldstriders.org.uk
