It was sunshine, sea views and serious determination as more than 2,700 runners took to the Southend seafront on Sunday 14 June, raising over £214,000 for local hospice care along the way.
Runners travelled from across the county and the country for the Havens Hospices Southend Half Marathon, sponsored by Ipeco. Starting and finishing in Shoeburyness, the route along the coastline was filled with crowds lining the way to cheer every runner.
Through registration fees and sponsorship, those runners are estimated to have raised more than £214,000 for Havens Hospices, beating last year’s total. Every pound will help the charity continue caring for local people of all ages living with incurable conditions, both in the community and at its hospices, Fair Havens and Little Havens.
First across the finish line was David Smale from City of Southend-on-Sea Athletic Club, with Charlotte Brooks from East Essex Tri Club the first woman home, setting a new course record, the first since 2011. As tired legs crossed the line, spectating family and friends kept the celebrations going, and members of the Fair Havens Care Team were on hand to place a medal around every runner’s neck, their way of saying thank you for the support.
This year’s race was set off by two special guests, sisters Topaz and Chantal, who were running in memory of their mum Zara after she received care at the end of her life at Fair Havens last year. Topaz said: “In her final days, the incredible team at Havens Hospices showed Mum such compassion, dignity, and kindness.”
Another runner taking part in memory of someone special was Billy Buckley, 25, from Rochford. His grandad, Vic Foyle, was supported by Fair Havens last year. Charlotte Foyle, Vic’s daughter and Billy’s mum, said, “The care Fair Havens gave us was brilliant, second to none. It meant everything to us. We could stay over to be close to him. Dad was happy at Fair Havens. So far, Billy has raised over £1,000 for the charity as our way of saying thank you.”
Behind every medal and every mile is a reason the day matters so much. Thanks to events like the Southend Half Marathon, the charity can keep providing expert, compassionate care to local families, at the hospices and in the community. That support is needed more than ever, with demand rising: the charity supported more people over the past year while receiving limited government income.
Lucy Lock, Community Engagement Manager at Havens Hospices, said: “The support for this year’s event has been absolutely incredible. This is the third year running we’ve held a sold-out race, and the atmosphere on the seafront was something special. We had hundreds of volunteers around the route, marshalling, handing out water, keeping our runners safe and cheering them on, while our brilliant volunteer pacers helped runners hit their target times.
“Havens Hospices needs to raise more than £208,000 every single week to keep its care services running, and we simply couldn’t do it without fundraising events like the Southend Half Marathon, and the people who power them.
“Hosting an event this big is a real community effort. Huge thanks go to our headline sponsor, and this year’s Presenting Partner Ipeco, we really couldn’t do it without their ongoing support.”
“The event was kindly supported by Finish Line Fund and c2c rail offering runners free travel to and from the event, and our vital water stations were supported by Essex & Suffolk Water supplying the water. Our thanks also go to the team of sports therapists, our medical team EMATS, and the local residents and businesses whose support on the day was second to none.”
Fancy taking on a challenge of your own? The charity’s next running event is the Chelmsford Marathon and Half Marathon, and with tickets selling fast, the advice is to secure your place today. Find out more at www.havenshospices.org.uk/chelmsfordmarathon.
16th June 2026
