A TEAM VICAR in the diocese of Canterbury will swap her cassock for running gear on Sunday when she enters the London Marathon to raise money for guide dogs.
The priest, the Revd Melissa Carter, who is 44, has been registered blind since she was 16.
She is running the 26.2-mile race in aid of the charity Guide Dogs, she says, because “For me, having a guide dog gave me the courage to go out. God heals in different ways. People say about healing and my sight, but I believe God has healed through giving people the skills to train guide dogs.
“And having a guide dog for me is like having my sight back, and I think the running for me is the same: it’s bringing me healing through being closer to God.”
Ms Carter will have a guide runner, with whom she runs side by side, both holding on to a tether: “It means we can’t move away from each other. . .
“[The guide runner] will also tell me what’s coming up on the ground. So, if there’s sort of gravel coming up, or a slope up and down, or if we need to move around something quickly.”
Ms Carter said: “It’s the 45th anniversary this year of the London Marathon, and I’m 45 in the summer; so I thought I’ll give it a go.”
Not having run competitively since her schooldays, she got back into running in 2021 after suffering from health problems. Her sister encouraged her to complete the Couch to 5k programme. Since then, she has tackled a local parkrun with her husband.
Besides running for her physical health, Ms Carter said, she found running a form of prayer. “When you get into that rhythm of running and your breathing, it helps you get into that prayer state. It gives me that time to listen to God, because I’m away from other things. It connects me with just how amazing God is with our bodies, and he give us things like the ability to run.”
To prepare for the marathon, Ms Carter has been training in the gym and with a personal trainer since last summer. “I got my place in June, and I started straight away to try and build up my stamina,” she said.
Her fund-raising target of £2000 has already been exceeded, and she expressed thanks to her congregation and local church schools for their support.
On the day of the marathon, she says, people will be supporting her from home: “They’ll be following me on the app; you can track where my chip is and see how I’m doing.”
She is most looking forward to the way it will feel to run over Tower Bridge: “I know I won’t see much of it, but I’m hoping there will be a sort of openness of the atmosphere.”
To donate, visit: 2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/melissa-carter