Firefighters turn running men raising over £7,000 for charity.
Step aside Dustin Hoffman, move over Arnold Schwarzenegger and Glen Powell, we’ve our own Marathon Running Men in Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue.
Mark Baxter, chief fire officer, and Bob Green, firefighter at Spilsby, took up the challenge to run the London Marathon last year and on Sunday 26 April finished the gruelling task, raising over £7,000 in aid of the Fire Fighters Charity in the process.
With a half marathon under his belt over 10 years ago, it was some time since Mark had ran for any considerable distance before signing up. And, while all our firefighters have good fitness levels, a marathon isn’t part of the day job.
Training wasn’t necessarily a smooth journey. Between balancing his important role as chief fire officer, remaining on call for high-level incidents, and picking up a few niggling injuries throughout, it was a long road to 26.2 miles.
But, like all good firefighters, he persevered through difficult conditions, training in all weathers, with his mind focused on the people who supported him and those who his efforts would help. This was at the forefront of his mind even as his knees started to give during the race…
“It was going well up until around 20 miles in, then my knees just about gave way on me…” Mark says, “those last six miles were a real battle, but all the people cheering me on both back home and in the crowd on the day really helped me through it.
“In particular I have to give a special mention to all the London Fire Brigade stations en-route. They were out in force, entertaining the crowds and giving massive support to everyone, with especially loud cheers for us in the Fire Fighters Charity bibs.”
The Firefighters Charity is a cause close to the hearts of many in the fire and rescue community. Every day they are supporting former and current firefighters and their families with physical, mental and social support as and when its needed.
Finishing in 4 hours, 26 minutes, Mark raised £2,180, and was tremendously grateful for all the support, saying: “The Fire Fighters Charity really is a fantastic cause, and I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated and sent kind messages of support for my efforts. There were a lot of people behind me, not least my family who gave me such a boost whenever I saw them, and it really did help carry me through the race.”
Having ran a half marathon in Boston, Lincolnshire, in full fire kit back in 2018, Bob knew the task ahead wasn’t going to be easy. Even still, before the event he laid down the gauntlet - ‘can Bob beat the boss?’
On the day he pulled up just shy, coming in at 4 hours 57 minutes, but still beating his target of finishing in under 5 hours and no less full of pride in his achievements with an astonishing £5,100 raised, all going to a worthy cause.
As Bob says, “initially I thought I might just about hit my target, but by the turn of the year, after a great station open day and massive support from the Nelson Butt Inn, I’d already hit my goal! The support has been unbelievable really, and to double my target has been a real community effort.
“Every penny is going to a great cause. It’s not just the rehabilitation work after injuries, but the support for those hidden injuries too. The Fire Fighters Charity do amazing work highlighting those issues as well as getting people the help and advice they need before things get too much. You never know when you might need them, so for us as firefighters every donation means the world.”
Around 59,000 runners took part in this year’s London Marathon, with hundreds of thousands spectators cheering and giving thousands of tired legs a boost.
Bob explained: “I still don’t think it’s all sunk in yet, it’s such an amazing event to be part of. The crowds are cheering you on right from the very start and it never lets up. Add in the music, the entertainment, the fire station’s hosing you down, it was a great atmosphere, and it really does help carry you across the line when your legs are aching.“
“It’s always hard to pull out people to thank, as my wife knows when I unknowingly ran past her a couple of times, but the support has been so incredible I couldn’t if I tried - it has to be a massive thank you to everyone in the community.”
Charity runners from across the country helped the Fire Fighters Charity raise over £110,000 at the London Marathon, with Mark Peat, smashing the world record for a 26.2 mile marathon in heavy protective gear - finishing in three hours, two minutes, and 57 seconds - creating another highlight for the charity at the 2026 event.
Mark and Bob’s donation pages are still open to donations, with all funds going towards the Fire Fighters Charity.
Mark’s page: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/mark-baxter
Bob’s page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/bobsmarathon