Ollie

Hackney Half Marathon 2026

Why I am fundraising for Parkinson's UK

Hey everyone, I'm running the Hackney Half in May to try and raise some money for Parkinson's UK, a cause which matters a lot to me.

Some of those who know me knew my dad had Parkinson's for a number of years. He was a great dad, always funny, full of wisdom and taught me a lot (although was occasionally annoying when eating my chocolate or something).

Parkinson's is a neurological condition which affects movement and balance, but can also affect the brain and personality of someone over time. Unfortunately my dad experienced all of these symptoms before he passed away near Christmas of 2024, when I was in my final year of uni. As you can imagine it is quite hard to watch someone you love gradually change over time, and that's why I want to try and raise a bit for Parkinson’s UK as they help fund important research into treatments and finding a cure, as well as providing support for the thousands of people and families living with the condition across the UK.

As for the race itself, this is my first official event I'll be running in. I run a fair bit already but training for this has definitely been a step above of what I would rather be doing haha. For those who are interested in times, I'm hoping to get 1hr 55min which would be pretty good for me, but if I get below 2hrs I'll be happy with myself. Feel free to check out my progress on Strava and joke about my slow times (https://strava.app.link/5RwDsutoh2b).

Any donation, big or small, would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to having my dad’s favourite pint afterwards.

Thank you to my sponsors

£50

Matthew Johnston

Good luck Ollie, best wishes Alice & The Johnston Family !

£27.05

Lucie Fischer

Suppose I can support

£16.56

Katie B

Good luck Ollie! You will smash it!

£21.84

Gwendolin

Hi Olli, what a great idea... We all miss your dad. xxx Gwen

£10

Charlie Gardner

£6.11

Anonymous

Good luck! He’d be so proud of you x

£32.23

Alice Johnston

Well done Ollie!!

£21.84

Mason Smith

£10

Koray

it's going to be cold 🥶

£5

Lydia James

lucie should be doing this run!

£5

Jimmy Joyce

£11.33

Denis

Good luck

£5

Ella Panter

🤍💙

£11.33

Olivia Royal

🤍

£11.33

Temi Alli

Best of luck Ollie!! Xx

£11.33

Julia Kinsella

You’ve got this !!

£6.11

Roisin

£5

Lucy Robson

super proud of you both! good luck ollie :) x

£11.33

Leah Pope

Good luck, you’ll smash it x

£21.36

Olly Walder

Good luck bro. Go and smash it

£30

Bill And Mia

You got this geez❤️

£21.84

Adam O'reilly

Best of luck!

£6.11

Lottie Davidson

Good luck!!

£15

Ananya Bipin

£5

Chloe Wilson

£6.11

Harriet Louise

best of luck, you’ll do amazing ! xx

£20

Molly Lowther

Best of luck, so proud! x

£53.32

The Martins

Go Ollie! You will smash this just like everything you do. Very proud of you 💪 love Alice, Stuart, Jack and Ben xxxx

£53.32

Nanny & Gdad

We are sure you will meet your time. GO OLLIE GO!

£53.32

Sarah Brace

So proud of you Ollie! Xx

£21.84

Patience

All the best xx

£20

Jack

❤️❤️

£53.32

Mum Xx

You've trained really hard and you'll definitely be making Papa proud, not that you don't do that each and every day :)

£20

Oliver Fischer