At 20 years old, Maisie Craven-Smith, from Christchurch in Dorset, is the second youngest marathon runner for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. She is a serving member of the RAF in Chicksands and spends much of her spare time running.
Maisie says:
“I love running, and come from a family of runners. I joined the RAF because I could combine my two passions, languages and fitness. There aren’t many jobs where you can do that.”
Maisie, who is in the first year of her phase two training at RAF Chicksands in Bedfordshire, is confident, despite her young age, that she will fly around the 26.22 mile course. The marathon is this exact length because, in 1908 Olympic Games in London, Queen Alexandra requested the race start on the lawn of Windsor Castle and finish at the royal box of the Olympic stadium, which is this exact length. Somehow this length stuck.
Maisie will be cheered on in London on 23 April by her friends and family.
Maisie said:
“I’m confident with my training… now I just need to raise enough money to be allowed to run. I’m raising money for SSAFA because they look after service people. It’s good to think that they will be there for me and my colleagues in the future if we need them.”
