I lost five stone and last weekend, I ran the London Marathon in honour of my mam

A dad-of-three, from Killingworth, is marking a huge personal achievement after he completed the London Marathon on Sunday, April 21.

Craig Falcus was one of 17 runners who represented Slimming World at the annual event after the weight loss organisation played a key role in helping him lose five stone.

“To run the London Marathon was such a personal achievement for me and I felt a huge rush of emotions as I crossed the finish line holding a picture of my mum who I ran in memory of,” said Craig.

“A few years and 5st ago, I couldn’t have imagined this would have been possible, it really was a dream come true.

“I’m also really proud of how much money the Slimming World Marathon team has raised for these incredible charities.”

Prior to his impressive weight loss, Craig had struggled with his weight since he was a teenager.

He has revealed that he was teased at school for his weight but was afraid to speak up about it in case it upset his mam and made the bullying worse.

Then in his adult life, a number of issues highlighted to Craig that he needed to make a change.

“I realised I needed to take control of my weight for good after a series of events took place,” added the 43-year-old.

“First, I was late for a bus and had to run to catch it. I became so out of breath after a short distance that I vomited on the street – I was absolutely mortified.

“I then decided to join a fitness class to try and improve my activity levels. During the class I made an excuse to visit the toilet where I fainted.

“Lastly, as I’ve gotten older, I started to suffer from a bad back and a slipped disc, which stopped me from being able to do anything with my three children.

“I decided to join Slimming World as I had seen how successful my wife had been getting to her target weight and running her own group as a Slimming World consultant.

“What I love about my Slimming World group is the atmosphere – it’s so warm and welcoming, and I never feel judged.

“I have gone on to become a consultant myself and run my own weekly group in North Shields.”

Sign up to NewcastleWorld’s newsletters to receive headline round-ups and breaking news alerts

The Slimming World runners were raising money for Cancer Research UK, the Irish Cancer Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK - with Craig running for Cancer Research UK in memory of his mam, who had cancer. He commented: “I wanted to raise as much money as possible by running the London Marathon in aid of Cancer Research UK, in honour of my mum, who had cancer.

“I wanted to say thank you for the amazing care and treatment my mum received.”

The Slimming World fundraiser has raised more than £50,000 - you can view it at: https://justgiving.com/campaign/sw-londonmarathon2024.