Interview
“ Having him do the marathon challenge with me is brilliant . He can run really fast - I can ’ t . Basically , he ’ s my wing man , and I ’ d be lost without that bond .” point after the physical ordeal , that she admits “ I didn ’ t want to face it ever again ” In fact , she posted as much on Facebook . Having completed the first two-thirds of the run with a huge smile on her face , after 17.5 miles , she had what she describes as “ a full-on breakdown ” and wanted to stop - although typically , she carried on walking to the finish line . So what changed her mind and set her bravely back on the marathon trail ? Largely , the encouragement of her eversupportive older brother . Anthony suggested that he take on the marathon challenge and she could do it with him – and that made all the difference . January 2018 marked the first of their 12 runs , and because of torrential rain , they did it indoors , on the treadmill at her Wight Fit gym . Some of the others will be in Belgium , where Anthony now lives , and others in the south of England . “ Having him do the marathon challenge with me is brilliant ” she says . “ He can run really fast – I can ’ t . Basically , he ’ s my wing man , and I ’ d be lost without that bond ”.
Family ties
The brother-sister bond has always been especially strong , largely because of an unimaginable tragedy that had hit the family before Victoria was even born . Their father was killed in a car accident when her mother was pregnant with her , and Anthony was just four years old . Ten years later , their devoted mum Gill decided to move the family from their home in Hereford and begin a new life on the Isle of Wight , where they had regularly enjoyed holidays . “ We loved living in Bembridge , with the beach on our doorstep , and I guess we became a very tight-knit little family unit .” says Victoria . Schooldays for her were unfortunately not quite so idyllic – in fact she suffered badly from relentless bullying , and at the age of 13 switched to a school on the mainland , St John ’ s College in Southsea . Once there , she clearly thrived and ultimately went on to be Head Girl . In fact she reckons the bullying experience and then the daily commute to a new school proved to be positive in making her grow up pretty quickly . Both she and Anthony had always excelled at sport – he in rugby and cricket , and she playing netball to a high standard . In fact the netball only had to stop when she started undertaking a long daily commute from the Island to Chichester University for her degree course in Sports Therapy . The brother and sister were regular visitors to Twickenham for the rugby , and Victoria ’ s aim was always to work as a rugby physiotherapist . However , in 2010 , the first of her health challenges hit her plans , when a bout of glandular fever and pneumonia forced her to take several months off from university , delaying her taking the final exams . Sitting them later , she achieved a 2.1 Honours degree , and soon afterwards , began her first job as sports therapist for the Wightlink Raiders ice hockey team . A few months later , she set up an injury clinic in Wootton , and began building her practice and client base and working at high profile sports events - including the
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