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London Marathon: Harrogate MP smashes fundraising target and personal best

Monday, 27 April 2026 11:24

Tom Gordon MP at this year's London Marathon.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has smashed his fundraising target and set a new personal best time at this year's London Marathon.

Tom Gordon completed the London Marathon yesterday (Sunday) in a time of 4 hours 29 minutes and 13 seconds, all whilst fundraising for Crohns & Colitis UK.

He chose the charity following his hospitalisation with an Inflammatory Bowel Disease flare-up earlier this year.

It works to support individuals with the conditions, funds research and campaigns for better care and faster diagnoses.

After initially setting a target of £1,000, Tom has raised £2,249 at the time of publication.

He said:

“I received such an outpouring of support from the IBD community when I was unwell. I wanted to give back.

"There is still a lot of research to be done and improvements to care to be made.

"It took the best part of a decade for me to get a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis.”

Often termed an invisible illness, Tom said he wanted to use his platform to highlight how the disease can quietly affect people despite them appearing well.

He said:

“Living with IBD is tough. It’s unpredictable, often invisible, and sometimes means having to slow down or stop completely - something I find particularly hard.”

Donations are still being accepted via Just Giving here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/tomgordonmp.

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