Chloe Riches, from Bury St Edmunds and a teacher at Great Heath Academy in Mildenhall, to take on the London Marathon for Spinal Research

A teacher who has undergone multiple spinal surgeries and only recently got into running is ‘going big’ by challenging herself to complete the London Marathon.

Chloe Riches, of Bury St Edmunds, works as a reception teacher at Great Heath Academy, in Mildenhall, and is part of the Moreton Hall Runners club on the Moreton Hall estate, in Bury.

Chloe, 25, who is relatively new to running, said she was determined to push herself to complete this April’s London Marathon and raise awareness and funds for Spinal Research.

She has set a goal of raising £2,000 for the charity, which funds medical research around the world to develop effective treatments for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury.

Chloe has a personal connection to the cause having undergone four spinal surgeries in the past and experienced firsthand the impact that spinal issues can have on one's quality of life.

She said having spinal problems had prevented her doing certain things – and was quite painful – but she said her last spinal surgery had been ‘life-changing’.

She added: “I couldn’t lift things or bend properly, but since I have had the surgery it seems to have helped and I’m now running and doing normal activities.”

Chloe, who has suffered with back problems since her late teens, said her most recent spinal surgery was in April 2024 – so it would be pretty much a year to the day when she runs the marathon.

In terms of her training, she said: “I do three or four runs a week and I run with a club, Moreton Hall Runners.

“Before I started with them I could barely run to the end of the road. To think I could now run a marathon is pretty amazing.”

She said Moreton Hall Runners had been ‘amazing’, adding they were encouraging and friendly and it was nice to run with a group.

“Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today, I wouldn’t be able to do the marathon,” said Chloe, who joined Moreton Hall Runners in June 2023.

Chloe has never run a marathon before, and she said before she decided to do it she had never even done a Parkrun.

However, she was spurred on by her desire to set herself a challenge, help others at the same time and get fit, adding she was inspired after watching the London Marathon on TV.

Chloe added: “I thought ‘if I’m going to do a challenge I’m going to go big’.”

She said any donations would be gratefully received.

Visit her fund-raising page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/chloe-riches-81