Ten marathons for Molly

A local father has taken on an extraordinary endurance challenge by running 10 marathons in 10 consecutive days in memory of his daughter Molly. 

Steve Page, began the challenge on Saturday 14th March and completed his final marathon on Monday 23rd March - the date that would have marked the 10 year anniversary of Molly’s birth.  

He ran one marathon each day to represent every year that has passed, raising money for the charity 4Louis, which supports families affected by miscarriage, stillbirth and the death of a baby or child.  

In a message shared at the start of the challenge, Steve said the run was a tribute from the whole family: “On 14th March I will begin 10 consecutive days of running a marathon each day in memory of every year that has passed since we lost you. This will culminate on 23rd March, being what would have been your 10th birthday. Forever in our thoughts - Mom, Dad, Dylan and Amelia.”  

Photo: Steve with his wife Tamsin, son Dylan and daughter Amelia. 

The charity 4Louis provides memory boxes and keepsakes to grieving families and supplies equipment, tools and training free of charge to hospitals, hospices and professionals who support parents after the loss of a child.  

Steve, who plays for Glossop Cricket Club and runs for Glossopdale Harriers, has been sharing updates as he progressed through the challenge, describing the physical and emotional toll of running more than 260 miles in just over a week.  

After completing the first marathon in an impressive 4 hours and 23 minutes, he said: “Plenty of walking breaks, especially after 20 miles. Thanks to Guy Riddell for the great company on the trail. God knows how I’m going to do nine more of these.”  

On day two, he added: “So tough today, probably due to the weather and my monotonous route choice. Legs are shot, but plenty of walking over the next few should get me through the middle slog.”  

Explaining more about why he took this challenge on, Steve said 

“Unfortunately many families experience baby loss, and 10 years on we wanted to honour Molly’s memory and raise money for 4Louis to enable them to provide as many memory boxes to support as many families as possible. In 2016 the memory box 4Louis provided gave us lifelong keepsakes of our daughter that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. I’m determined to complete the challenge, and the team at Glossop Physio on the High Street have been kind enough to support me with a sports massage to get me through the last few days.”  

Donations to support Steve’s fundraising can be made via his JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/page/stephen-page-6