A marathon effort to inspire young students

Published on 14, January, 2025

A University of Sunderland graduate who was struck down with a rare neurological disorder that brought him to the brink of death is now set to run the TCS London Marathon.

In January 2024, Mark Learmouth became seriously ill with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition in which the body's immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system. It was while he was recovering in hospital in April last year, he watched the London Marathon and decided that he would use the race to motivate him to get fit again.

Now Mark, 34, an Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner at Sunderland Royal Hospital, is preparing to take on the world-famous 26.2-mile marathon in April, exactly a year after he watched it from his hospital bed. He is running for the University of Sunderland’s Futures Fund to raise money to support young students. Mark hopes the money he raises will give others the opportunity that university gave him, to enjoy a fulfilling career, and change lives.

Mark graduated from the University with his Pharmacy degree in 2014 and returned to study for his Master’s degree in Clinical Pharmacy. It was the culmination of a long-held dream for Mark to help others, inspired by his mother, Joy, who also qualified as a pharmacist at Sunderland in 1979.

Mark, who is from East Boldon but lives in Gateshead, said: “When I was 15, I started working in a Saturday job in community pharmacy alongside my mother. I decided that pharmacy was the career for me too.

"She had studied at Sunderland, so I started studying there too, and a year after I started my sister Jemma also started at the University studying Psychology.

"The University was amazingly supportive and let Jemma and I graduate together. It was a really special moment for our family."

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Mark went on to gain his dream job as an Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner, but it all came crashing down when he was struck down by rare neurological disorder in early 2024.

"I came down with an extremely rare condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome which completely paralysed me,” Mark said. “I almost died on two occasions this resulted in a three month stay in hospital.

"It was during my time in a rehab hospital that I decided to set a goal for myself of running the London Marathon."

Mark had kept in touch with the University of Sunderland over the years, and he read in the University Alumni newsletter that the University’s Development Office had a single place at the TCS London Marathon, for a graduate who was willing to run to raise money for the Futures Fund.

The Futures Fund supports students to develop their careers and aspirations. As someone whose career had been shaped by the University, it was the perfect fit for Mark. He successfully applied and is now the University of Sunderland’s first ever official representative at the London Marathon.

Mark said: “I thought it would be a fantastic way to give back to the University that's given me so much.

“I hope that it will be able to help give others the same fantastic education myself and my family have received so that they can go on to have rewarding careers.”

Georgie Cox, Head of Alumni and Development at the University of Sunderland, said: “We are incredibly proud to support Mark as he takes on the challenge of running the TCS London Marathon in April. His commitment to the University of Sunderland is truly inspiring and will raise vital funds for our scholarship programme empowering students to reach their full potential.

“We encourage everyone to join us in supporting Mark on this incredible journey as together, through every mile, we can help create amazing opportunities for our students.”

You can follow Mark’s journey and sponsor him by going to https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/mark-learmouth

To find out more about studying a Pharmacy degree at the University of Sunderland, click here.

For Clinical Pharmacy MSc, click here.