A Cambridgeshire Police officer working in child protection is preparing to run the London Marathon in support of vulnerable young people.
DC Charlie Mitton, from the Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit, is taking on the challenge in aid of the Children’s Society, having never previously attempted the 26.2-mile distance.
She said: “The furthest I’d managed before training was around half-marathon distance, so this has been a completely new challenge for me.”
Preparation has not been straightforward.
After being accepted onto the charity’s team last summer, Charlie began a demanding 21-week training plan, which has been dogged by injury and illness.
“I think I’ve caught every cold imaginable during training,” she said. “When you’re running long distances, your immune system can dip afterwards, and I kept picking up illnesses which often turned into chest infections.”
Balancing training alongside policing and family life, including two young stepchildren aged five and six, added to the challenge.
Partway through training, Charlie also developed painful shin splints, forcing her to pause running entirely.
She said: “I’d never experienced shin splints before. I worked with a personal trainer, had sports massages, lots of stretching, and daily exercises.
“It got to the point where I had to stop for 10 days because it was so painful.
“It did get better, and I can’t run without calf compression socks now.”
Charlie said that taking part in the marathon is not about personal achievement.
She said: “I’d watched the London Marathon on television and thought maybe one day I’d like to do it, but I wanted to do it for a purpose.
“If I were going to run it, I wanted to run for a charity that really meant something to me.”
Working daily with vulnerable children influenced her decision to support The Children’s Society.
Charlie explained: “My job is challenging but rewarding.
“I see and deal with children daily who have been physically, sexually and emotionally abused. children getting involved in drugs, being exploited and struggling with their mental health.
“We do what we can for these children by safeguarding them and trying to get the justice they deserve, but the most important thing is the help and support they get afterwards.
“This is why I’m raising money for the Children’s Society.
“They do incredible work with vulnerable young people, so they felt like the perfect charity to run for.”
Charlie was one of just 125 runners awarded a place with the charity. But she admitted that she initially thought she was the victim of a scam call before realising she had secured a spot.
“I felt incredibly privileged.”
Charlie admitted to a mixture of emotions as the big day approaches.
“I’m excited, but I’m also nervous,” she said. “My plan is to enjoy it and take it all in.
“Some of my colleagues have been reminding me that the hard work is already done. The marathon itself is the victory lap.”
She will also be running as part of the marathon’s environmentally focused Team Green, which is committed to an eco-friendly approach by reducing event-related waste.
Charlie will be supported by her partner, Sonny, and family members, who will be cheering her on near the halfway point.
And some of her biggest motivation will come through her headphones, after creating a WhatsApp group with close friends and relatives, each sending a voice note to be played during the final miles of the race.
“I’ll listen to one voice note for each of the last 14 miles,” she said. “Some might be encouragement, some might be people shouting at me or singing, but hopefully it will feel like they’re running alongside me.”