Mum ran London Marathon to thank Hunstanton RNLI for saving her three daughters
A mother whose three daughters were saved in a dramatic rescue ran her first marathon on Sunday 21 April to thank the charity that saves lives at sea.
Hovercraft Hunstanton Flyer arrived as the tired trio began losing their grip in the fierce tide.
Their mother Stacey O'Donnell from Wisbech, Cambs, ran her first-ever TCS London Marathon for the RNLI on Sunday 21 April.
Stacey, 52, who works as a healthcare assistant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, finished in 6hrs, 19m, 54s.
'It was easy to start with, with all the adrenaline and the support from the crowd,' she said.
'It was harder from Mile 24 but you just have to do it, you just have to pull everything together.
'The support was amazing, the crowds, my family especially, they were all there.'
Applause broke out in the boathouse when Stacey returned to Hunstanton to present a cheque to the crew for more than £3,500 on Sunday, 28 April - with some monies raised yet to come in.
A few days earlier, she told Sky TV's flagship breakfast show how the RNLI had given her back her family, before speaking of the milestones they had enjoyed since the rescue.
Station visits officer Kate Craven thanked Stacey for her effort, saying the work of the crew and more than 200 like them would not be possible without people like her.
Stacey said she had already applied to run next year's London Marathon for the RNLI.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.