Shirley Automotive Professional Returns To London Marathon In Support Of BEN
An automotive professional from Sutton Coldfield will return to the London Marathon for the first time in 20 years after securing a place in the 2027 event to support industry charity Ben.
David Howe, General Manager of Vertu Ford Shirley on Stratford Road, first took part in the world’s largest marathon in 2007 after entering, as he puts it, ‘on a whim’.
Taking his place on the streets of the capital as one of the 36,000 starters having completed next to no training, David made it to the finish in a time of 6:16:23.
After losing weight, David returned to running in 2025, starting with 5k distances before building up to regular 10k runs, which he now does every Wednesday morning alongside taking part in his local Parkrun every Saturday.
Within six months of putting his running shoes back on, David also took part in the Birmingham Half Marathon, where he finished inside the top 150 in his age category having set a time of 01:51.50.
David will return to the streets of London to support Ben, the charity that provides health, wellbeing and financial support to people working across the automotive sector, during what will be the largest ever staging of the event.
After speaking to representatives from Ben during Vertu's annual GM Conference about charity places for the event, David put his name forward and was subsequently selected as one of just 26 runners from across the automotive industry who will run in Ben colours.
David will take part in the Saturday race that is planned as a one-off next year, with organisers electing to run a two-day event to expand the number of participants to 100,000.
David Howe said: “Having worked in the automotive industry for more than 30 years, I’ve seen first-hand how important Ben is when it comes to supporting people in our sector when times are tough.
“When I spoke to them at our GM Conference and they said they had charity places for the London Marathon available, I thought I’d put my name down and see if I was able to get a spot – so I was delighted to get the email to say I was in.
“When I took part back in 2007, I didn’t really train properly but this time around, I’m putting in the work to make sure I’m ready to improve on my previous time and raise as much money as possible.
“Knowing I’m doing it for Ben is what keeps me going when the legs are tired and this is my way of giving something back as every donation – no matter the size – will help them to continue providing life-changing support to people across the automotive industry.”
Robert Forrester, Chief Executive of Vertu, said: “When David joined us on a trip to the Lake District alongside a number of General Managers from across the business, he told me all about his plans to run the London Marathon and we’re delighted to support him in his efforts to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.
“Any funds he can raise will benefit a charity that makes a huge difference to people within our industry and we wish David the very best of luck with his challenge.”
Donations towards David’s attempt on the 2027 London Marathon can be made here: https://2027tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/david-h