Eight MPs set to run the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon

Eight Members of Parliament, including three front benchers, will line up on the Start Line for the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 24 April.

The eight are competing to become part of the London Marathon MPs Hall of Fame, joining a long list of former and current MPs who have run the world famous 26.2-mile course.  

 

Two MPs are making their London Marathon debut alongside six veteran London Marathon runners, who will be hoping to improve on the personal best times they have set between 1984 and 2015. 

 

The eight are:

 

Rt Hon. Alistair Burt (handicap 36.0),  the Conservative Party’s Minister of State for the Department of Health, who will run for the 10th time at this year’s event, achieving a personal goal to make an appearance in every decade since the race began in 1981. The most experienced marathon runner in the 2016 MPs line-up, he first ran in 1984 where he set his personal best time of 4:14:48, while his last appearance was in 2008 when he ran 4:39:17. He is running in support of Combat Stress and Sue Ryder.

 

Rt Hon. Alun Cairns, the Conservative Party’s Secretary of State for Wales, who will run for the fifth consecutive year. Cairns was the first MP to cross the Finish Line in 2014 (3:34:16) and 2015 (3:38:25) and will be hoping to be the fastest MP once again in the 2016 line-up. He is running to raise money for the charities Breast Cancer Now and The Brain Tumour Charity. 

 

Edward Timpson, the Conservative Party’s Minister for Children and Families, who will run for the seventh time at this year’s event after competing in all but the 2013 event as an MP over the last eight years. Timpson will be hoping to beat his personal best time of 3:42:24 from the 2014 race. He is running in support of The Christie Charity. 

 

Labour’s Dan Jarvis (handicap 18.4)  (Barnsley Central), will be running Cairns and Timpson close for title of fastest MP in his fifth London Marathon (and fourth as an MP) after completing the 2015 race in a time of 3:44:55, a personal best over the 26.2-mile course.

 

The All Party Parliamentary Running Group Chairman and Conservative MP Graham Evans (Weaver Vale) will also be looking to complete his fifth London Marathon and is hoping to improve on his previous best of 4:43:56 from 2014. He is running in support of Care after Combat.  

 

Labour’s Jamie Reed, MP for Copeland, who is running for the second time after completing the race in a time of 4:38:37 in 2014. He is running to raise funds for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund).

 

Amanda Solloway, MP for Derby North, is one of two MPs making their debut at this year’s London Marathon. She is running to raise money for the charity Rethink Mental Illness. 

 

Joining her on the Start Line will be Simon Danczuk, MP for Rochdale, who is running in support of the Rochdale-based homelessness charity Petrus Community. 

 

SUMMARY

 

MPs running in 2016                                                                      Personal Best

 

Alistair Burt, Conservative, Bedfordshire North East                 4:14:48 (1984)

Minister of State for the Department of Health

This will be Burt’s 10th London Marathon

Previous times: 4:14:48 (1984); 4:26:47 (1985); 4:22:00 (1987); 6:20:29 (1989); 4:50:02 (1991); 5:04:37 (1995); 4:43:15 (2006); 5:18:35 (2007); 4:39:17 (2008)

 

Alun Cairns, Conservative, Vale of Glamorgan                            3:34:16 (2014) 

Secretary of State for Wales 

This will be Cairns’s fifth London Marathon

Previous times: 4:03:16 (2012); 3:39:41 (2013); 3:34:16 (2014); 3:38:25 (2015)

 

Simon Danczuk, Rochdale                                                              Debut

Debut

 

Graham Evans, Conservative, Weaver Vale                                  4:43:56 (2014)

This will be Evans’s fifth London Marathon

Previous times: 4:46:15 (2012); 4:49:00 (2013); 4:43:56 (2014); 5:28:30 (2015)

 

Dan Jarvis, Labour, Barnsley Central                                            3:44:55 (2015)

This will be Jarvis’s fourth London Marathon as an MP

Previous times: 3:46:41 (2013); 3:45:08 (2014); 3:44:55 (2015)

 

Jamie Reed, Labour, Copeland                                                        4:38:37 (2014)

This will be Reed’s second London Marathon 

Previous time: 4.38.37 (2014)

 

Amanda Solloway, Conservative, Derby North                              Debut

Debut

 

Edward Timpson, Conservative, Crewe & Nantwich                    3:42:24 (2014)

Minister for Children & Families 

This will be Timpson’s sixth London Marathon

Previous times: 3:58:36 (2009); 4:26:40 (2010); 6:28:47 (2011); 3:55:19 (2012); 3:42:24 (2014); 3:56:42 (2015)