AFC Sudbury general manager Dave Hennessey gears up to run London Marathon for third and final time

While many runners are taking on this month’s London Marathon for the first time, for Dave Hennessey, it will be his last – and he is determined to go out on a high.

On April 27, the AFC Sudbury general manager will take on the 26.2-mile course for the third time, alongside thousands of other runners.

For his final marathon berth, Mr Hennessey is running to raise money for The Sue Ryder Foundation, a palliative care and bereavement support charity.

Having previously run for children’s cancer charities – inspired by his own battle with cancer – he explained that, this time, he had secured a ballot place, after signing up as part of a larger group.

“There were 10 of us who went in for a ballot place, and I don’t know if you would call it good luck or bad luck, but I was the only one who got a place,” he told the Suffolk Free Press.

“I decided to raise funds for Sue Ryder, because my other half worked with them previously, and I’ve had dealings with them through football – they are a great local charity.

“I’ve set a fairly low fund-raising target of £500, so anything above and beyond that would be great.

“Especially in the current economic climate, I wouldn’t want to push it, because people give generously for the other fundraisers I do, so I ask them to do whatever they can.”

Mr Hennessey, who previously managed Long Melford Football Club, before joining AFC Sudbury last year, said his past two runs of the London Marathon had been very challenging but positive experiences.

However, he confirmed that this month’s run would be the final time he laces up his running shoes.

“When I got the email through with the ballot information for next year, I did hesitate for a moment before I deleted the email, but I’m hanging up my running boots after this,” he added.

“It was painful running the marathon the first two times. As you get up in years, it becomes harder dragging yourself out to do the training.

“But, the day itself is like a drug. The support you get and the encouragement you get from complete strangers, every step of the 26 miles, is infectious. There’s nothing like it.”