West Somerset Railway Association

London Marathon Success for Team WSRA

We are delighted to share the fantastic achievement of our two WSRA entrants in this year’s London Marathon, Joe Rogers pictured right and Reece Bartle-Coates pictured left.

Both runners successfully completed the challenge, demonstrating real determination and commitment in support of the Association. Reece crossed the finish line in an impressive 4 hours 30 minutes, while Joe followed with a very commendable time of 5 hours 9 minutes. Taking on the London Marathon is no small feat, and we are immensely proud of them both.

Joe’s achievement is particularly noteworthy. Having been unable to run in 2025 due to injury, he took on this year’s race still not fully recovered. His perseverance and resolve to complete the marathon under such circumstances are truly inspiring.

Even more encouraging is the support they inspired along the way. Between them, Joe and Reece have raised approximately £4,000 for the 80064 Restoration Fund. This is a wonderful contribution towards the ongoing work to return this much-loved locomotive to steam.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Joe and Reece for their dedication, as well as to everyone who sponsored and supported them. Efforts like this make a real difference and show the strength of support for the WSRA and its projects.

Congratulations once again to both runners on a superb achievement!

An update from WSRA runner Reece who is running the 2026 London Marathon on behalf of the WSRA and the 80064 Restoration Fund in particular.

I hit a massive milestone today – my longest training run to date at 20 miles!

We have now officially raised over 50% of the £2,000 target!

Donate here: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/…/reece…

80064’S boiler arrived safely at Rileys in Lancashire on Tuesday February 10th.

Monday February 9th saw another step forward with the restoration of B.R. Standard 4MT    2-6-4T when the boiler left a muddy yard at Williton for work to be carried out at Riley and Son. This another important stage along the way to the target of a 2028 return to service on the WSR and two West Somerset Railway supporters will be working hard to raise funds towards the work via their running shoes. 

Sunday April 26th is the date of this year’s London Marathon with thousands of runners pounding the streets of the capital for a distance  of 26 miles and 385 yards. Founded by 1981 by long distance athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in the subsequent four decades it has attracted both elite runners and huge numbers of participants putting themselves to the test in order to raise funds for charities and good causes. Many people have watched the television coverage and set out to train and get fit in order to take  part in subsequent years. 

This year two runners will be raising funds towards the restoration of  80064, now owned by the West Somerset Railway Association after it being donated to the WSRA by the 80064 Locomotive Group. Work on the restoration is underway at Williton on the West Somerset Railway as well as the boiler work to be carried out in Bury. 

Joe Rogers is an experienced distance runner who has in the past run from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead, calling at stations along the route of the WSR He is also the author of a number of books including “Railway Enthusiasm in 21^st Century Britain” published by Amberley Publishing in 2024. 

Reece Bartle-Coates will be taking part in his first marathon, being one of the many participants who are training and improving their fitness ahead of crossing the starting line on the last Sunday in April. 

Both Joe and Reece have GoFundMe pages. Joe’s is at https://2026londonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/joseph-rogers-wsra-2026 whilst Reece’s page is at https://2026londonmarathon.enthuse.co/pf/reece-bartle-coates. 

WSRA Chairman Edward Martin commented;- “The Association is very grateful to Joe and Reece for their commitment to fund raising for the restoration of 80064 and we hope that that each mile they cover will be generously supported. We must also thank local businesses that supported our pre-Christmas raffle to raise funds for the same purpose. We were hoping to raise a four figure sum but were delighted that it realised £1922.” 

Should anyone wish to support Joe and Reece’s Marathon efforts without using GoFundMe  they may care to send a cheque for £26.38p  (or multiples thereof) payable to West Somerset Railway Association, to West Somerset Railway Association (MR), The Railway Station, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 3BX.