Mudeford RNLI rescuer legs it to call-out during London Marathon training

A MUDEFORD RNLI rescuer was quick off the mark when he raced to a call-out while training for the London Marathon.

Scott Harburn has been limbering up to take part in next year’s event – his first ever marathon – in a bid to raise funds for his lifeboat station.

Once an alert sounded on his pager mid-training recently, he ran the one-and-a-half miles to the station.

Within minutes he had changed into his dry suit and was out on the Mudeford Servant Atlantic 85 lifeboat assisting in a late night search. This shout lasted six hours.

Speaking afterwards, he said: “Because of my work, my marathon training is mainly in the evenings.

“I always take my RNLI pager with me and keep to the local area in case it goes off. As an RNLI volunteer, you never know when you may be needed.”

Having joined the crew in 2020, following in the footsteps of his godfather,

Scott set himself the challenge of running the London Marathon on 21st April 2024.

The NHS physiotherapist aims to be running the full 26.2 miles by March.

“I have never undertaken anything like the London Marathon before and running is a whole new world for me,” he continued.

“My family and friends think I’m crazy, but they know how important the RNLI is to me and are very supportive.

“'With the RNLI celebrating its 200th anniversary next year, it felt the right time to do something for the charity that I love.”

Mudeford RNLI lifeboat operations manager Steve Doe said: “A big thank you to Scott for taking on this challenge and raising funds for the Mudeford lifeboat station.

“As a life-saving charity we depend on people's generosity and support to continue our vital work.

“We wish Scott every success and although we are always on standby 24 hours, 365 days of the year, we hope his training isn’t interrupted by any more shouts.”

To donate to Scott's fundraising page visit tinyurl.com/48rs7far