Martin had been with Aaron just days beforehand, so the news was a huge shock to Martin and everyone who knew him.
In memory of Aaron and the many tales and anecdotes that made everyone remember him with a smile and wish he was still here, Martin ran in the 2024 Chester Marathon, the 6th largest marathon in the UK.
It was his first time he had run in any marathon event and so was a big challenge, but one that he was looking forward to. In October 2024, Martin completed this challenge and has written his story of Aaron and the inspiration that led him to take on the Chester Marathon challenge.
“I lost my friend unexpectedly last year aged just 35. After months of waiting for news, we found it out was a massive pulmonary embolism which ended his life. I wanted to do something in his honour and to raise awareness of the risks of this kind of thing across all generations, not just older people.
“I am a keen amateur runner but had never run an official marathon so decided this would be a good opportunity to do so whilst highlighting a cause which was important to me.
“I signed up to the Chester Marathon just nine weeks before the start date and embarked on an intensive training programme to help me towards my goal of running it in 3hr 30mins.
“In those nine weeks I ran 680km, totalling 5100m of ascent which took me just under 60 hours. My finish time was 3h 31mins, which I was very happy with!
“In total we raised around £1,250 for Thrombosis UK which was fantastic and a special way to honour the memory of my friend Aaron Websell.”
