Emerson Paul
Emerson, a 47-year-old dad from Orpington, is taking part in the iconic TCS London Marathon in October in support of PACT, the charity he adopted with.
Having previously worked in finance and insurance for years, Emerson is now a full-time dad to his two boys. He began the process of adopting with his partner in 2019 through PACT, and the couple were thrilled to have their two children placed with them at the end of 2020.
He said: “PACT have been with us since the start of our journey back in 2019 and have seen us through all the training, panel meetings, the matching process and beyond. They continue to support us by way of regular check-ins with our PACT social worker and further training and social events.”
Emerson is one of nine members of Team PACT who will be running the 26.2 miles around the streets of London on 2nd October.
An experienced runner, Emerson said he is fortunate to have participated in many running events in the past. These have ranged from 5k to 80k and beyond, both in the UK and overseas and this year’s race will be his 16th or 17th marathon – he can’t remember exactly! – and his 4th London Marathon, though he finds each one more of a challenge as the years go by.
He said: “Training has been going surprisingly well this time around and as well as doing the miles of training I have been focusing more on strength, conditioning and rehab which, for a body well into its 40th decade, requires more than the ‘time on feet’! I have managed a few 16, 18 and 20 mile runs over the past few weekends, trying to avoid the recent heatwave temperatures and running very early in the morning whenever possible!”
Emerson is most looking forward to raising money for PACT and enjoying the atmosphere and crowds on the day.
“Having been lucky enough to have completed the London Marathon before, albeit not for over 10 years or so, it’s fair to say it is one of the best supported events in the world.”
He has a £2,000 fundraising target and is collecting donations to his page at https://tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/emerson-paul
“For those who are already aware of PACT, they will know the excellent work and support they offer for adoptive parents and their immediate network. Having been the beneficiary of so much of this, it will be nice to give something back.
“Unfortunately, the demand and need for agencies and charities such as PACT is increasing year on year and at a financial cost. While PACT may not be one of the most high profile charities you would have heard of, they are currently the most important one our family relies on and will continue to do so in the future.”
