After having heart surgery, Mitchell Elliott was told he might never run a marathon.
But now the 32-year-old from Rochester is preparing to take on the TCS London Marathon on April 26, less than a year after his most recent heart operation.
Mr Elliott, a deputy headteacher at Bligh Primary School in Strood, was born with tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart condition.
He has undergone three heart operations—at 10 months, 11 years, and most recently in May 2025.
His marathon effort is in support of the Evelina Children’s Heart Organisation (ECHO), a charity that has supported him and his family since his diagnosis.
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He said: "After my heart surgery, I was told I may never run a marathon, but I wasn’t going to let my heart condition stop me."
ECHO offers services such as parent support, cardiac antenatal classes, a teen club, and bereavement support.
Mr Elliott said: "When I was diagnosed, it was tough for my mum, but ECHO supported her through it. She made lots of friends through the ECHO community.
"I grew up with ECHO – I remember fondly the ECHO Christmas parties and teen events. I now volunteer at ECHO events when I can."
He hopes to raise more than £5,500 for the charity, and has already raised more than £5,000 with the help of his school community.
Fundraising efforts have included a Colour Run and a Healthy Hearts Day, during which pupils took part in sponsored circuits sessions.
Mr Elliott continued: "I’ve been touched by the generosity of the school community – we raised £3,000 at the Healthy Hearts Day, which is amazing."
Balancing marathon training with his busy work schedule has not been easy.
He added: "The training has been hard. I don’t think I’ll run again after the marathon – it definitely hasn’t triggered the running bug in me.
"It’s been hard to fit in training – for a while I was waking up at 4.30am to get a run in before getting to school at 7am."
Having a heart condition means Mitchell has to be careful when running the marathon. His goal is to complete the race in under six hours.
Samantha Johnson, chief executive at ECHO, said: "We are so inspired that Mitchell is running a marathon to raise money for ECHO less than a year after having heart surgery.
"He has raised a phenomenal amount for ECHO – the money he has raised will enable us to support many more children with special hearts and their families."
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