Publisher to run London marathon in wedding dress after marrying on morning of race

Runner: Jackie Scully is running the London marathon in her wedding dress hours after she marries
Lucy Young
Matt Watts31 March 2017

A publisher who ran races during her treatment for breast cancer is to tackle the London marathon on her wedding day.

Jackie Scully, 35, credits running with keeping herself positive and fit while undergoing gruelling chemotherapy and wants to inspire others by completing the 26 miles in full bridalwear.

She and fiancé Duncan Sloan, 35, a civil servant, are to marry at 7.30am on the Cutty Sark on April 23, before taking a mile-long stroll to the marathon start line. The Greenwich couple will be the first to marry on the morning of the event and then take part in it.

The bride will run in a satin stretch, lace-covered dress designed for her by David Seaman’s wife and Dancing On Ice star Frankie Poultney and will walk down the aisle in her trainers. Mr Sloan will marry in his running gear.

It will be a happy ending to a three-year battle for the couple, who got engaged on Christmas Day 2013, the day after Ms Scully found a lump on her right breast.

She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer three weeks later and in 2014 had a mastectomy, and a further operation to reconstruct her breast with tissue from her stomach. She also had radiotherapy. Ms Scully, who was treated at both Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals, now has no signs of cancer.

Race: Jackie Scully with fiance Duncan Sloan

She said that she wanted to mark her wedding day by running the marathon in tribute to the role running and fund-raising had played in her recovery, and to help charities that have supported them. Her first long-distance race was the Great British 10k in 2014, during her chemotherapy. She had lost her hair and ran with an intravenous PICC line in her arm and her acute oncology card in her back pocket. Her hen party was a 10k run.

Ms Scully added: “We kept running and volunteering and it was an important part of getting through it all, to do things for charities to help other people and to keep my positive energy going. When Duncan eventually said he wanted to get married I said, there’s only one way we are going to do this, and that’s running the marathon.”

The couple hope to raise at least £15,000 for the Willow Foundation and Breast Cancer Care. They are also taking part in a fundraising trek along the Great Wall of China for their honeymoon.

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