THE memory of her sister spurred a 22-year-old on to complete her first London marathon.
Less than a year after Lucy Rayner from Woodhatch killed herself, her sister Becky, just a year younger, ran the race in aid of the Samaritans.
Lucy, of Hazel Close, had wanted to be one of the 36,000 runners who took part on Sunday.
"Last year, Lucy asked me if I wanted to run the marathon with her," said Becky, a student PE teacher. "I said 'why not?' But she looked into it and the applications had already closed."
A month later, on May 5, Lucy died.
"Lucy's death came as a total surprise to us all, no one saw it coming," said Becky. "We all knew that she had mood swings, and she did go to the doctor, but she wasn't diagnosed with any kind of illness or problem.
"Outwardly, Lucy was a very bubbly and fun person. She had a big circle of friends who she loved and who loved her. Even though we were a tight-knit family, Lucy didn't really talk about her feelings and found it hard expressing her emotions. She loved us all but didn't love herself or her life, it was a struggle for her and she wanted some peace."
Lucy's family – Becky, mum Jenny, dad Stuart and older sister Emma – were devastated at her death.
But Lucy's memory inspired Becky to keep going when she set out around the London course on Sunday, along with cousin Sylvia Whittall, 23, of Redhill, and she crossed the finish line in 5 hours and 33 minutes.
"I had run 12 miles in training, so I was worried about what would happen for the other 14," she said. "But I think, because I was so focused, I just said to myself 'I can do this'. Every mile I went past, I was thinking about the reason I was doing it. Having my family there was amazing. It was very emotional and the crowd were just absolutely incredible."
Becky and Sylvia have so far raised more than £2,500 for the Samaritans. To add to their total, go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BeckyandSylvia
