16/10/2026
This Sunday Marcus Rhodes is running the Abingdon Marathon, in memory of his little boy Lennox.
Lennox passed away in September, aged just 15 months.
🦖 He was a beautiful little boy, who loved dinosaurs, playing with his sister Mirabelle, moving to music and being outside looking at the trees 🌳
Lenny boy, as his big sister called him, spent much of his little life being cared for in Oxford's Paediatric Critical Care Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital, after being diagnosed with a rare condition called SMARD-1.
His dad Marcus, an army mechanic who lived in Abingdon with Lauren and their 3-year-old daughter Mirabelle, signed up for the marathon months earlier, but despite the devastating recent loss of his little boy is determined to still take part.
He told us he is running to thank the team who gave his family such kind and dedicated care, and running to help other families in the unit as well as those who will come after them.
"Running a marathon is nothing compared to what Lennox faced every single day, and it this is my chance to say thank you to the team and make a difference by supporting Oxford Hospitals Charity, which funds much of the support and specialist care on the unit."
"We will never stop thinking of Lennox and making him proud."
We know that every step of the marathon Marcus will be thinking of his beautiful little boy who made everyone smile 💚
To support this very special effort please use the link in the comments. You can also read more about Lennox's story on our website
The Abingdon Marathon
