REVIEW: MARATHON MEN AT NOONANS

We offer our congratulations to Peter White, Henry Browne and Ian Kington for their success in completing the London and Boston Marathons, and the Magna Carta Half Marathon respectively.

It has been an especial triumph for Peter, a database developer for Noonans IT team, who raised £2,800 for BiPolar UK in the process.

 

“I have Henry Browne to thank for my entry into this year’s London Marathon,” says Peter. “Back in July 2025, while discussing one of his magnificent marathon performances, I visited the London Marathon website and entered their ballot. A couple of weeks later an email breezed in... ‘Mr White you have won a place’.

“This was both exciting and slightly worrying,” said Peter. “I am 65 and it is 20 years since I last ran a marathon. Concerned about the state of my knees, I visited a musculoskeletal consultant. I had my knees MRI’ed (at some expense).”

The results were somewhat daunting. “The doctor told me I had arthritic changes to both my knees, but the good news was that, with some work, I should be able to run for a bus!”

Armed with several tubes of Ibuprofen gel, Peter started training, completing 10k weekend runs and gradually building up to running home from work – anywhere from 15k to 30k depending on the route!

“I decided to run for BiPolar UK in memory of my neighbour and friend, Theo Schooling, a young man, married to Astrid and father to Mollie (5) and Elodie (3). He was a very capable runner, running around three hours in the 2024 London Marathon. I met him most mornings when I was out walking Minnie the Dalmatian.... I would hear the thud of running
footsteps behind me and there would be Theo.

“He would often spend a few minutes chatting with me, giving me a little insight into his struggle with Bipolar disease. Sadly he lost his battle, passing tragically away in 2025. I wished that I had done more to support him in his turmoil. Running the marathon in his name was the least I could do.”

During the run Peter’s knees held up remarkably well. “I was struck with some severe muscular cramps at mile 18, which I managed to hobble through, finishing in 6 hours 20 minutes – a little disappointing.... I plan to run the 2027 London Marathon much faster!”

The massive sum he raised made it more than worthwhile.

Meanwhile, Henry, Noonans’ Deputy Head of Photography, ran the Boston Marathon on April 20 in a time of 3 hours 9 mins and 34 seconds. First held in 1897, it’s the world’s oldest annual marathon and unique in that it requires most participants to achieve a qualifying time to enter.

“It has been on my bucket list for a while, so it was fantastic to be there. Hopefully will be going back in 2028 to do it again,” says Henry.

Ian Kington, Head of Photography at Noonans, completed the Magna Carta Half Marathon on May 9 in a very impressive 1 hour and 55 minutes.