by Lewis Dyson

A former Borden Grammar School pupil’s dream of running the New York Marathon was dashed by superstorm Sandy.

Lewis Price had already arrived in the city when it was announced Sunday’s race had to be cancelled.

The 23-year-old was one of six runners who had been training for six months to take part in the 26-mile endurance event to raise money for celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Better Food Foundation.

Mr Price said: "At the beginning of the week myself and the other runners were genuinely more concerned for the people of New York.

"After Tuesday, when we got word that the marathon was still on from Mayor Michael Bloomberg it was quite a relief to know that New Yorkers were doing what they do best and soldiering on.

"When we first arrived in New York on Wednesday it was quite surreal. We were staying in an area where there was no power whatsoever. By day it was a ghost town with shops, restaurants and cafes all boarded up.

"By night it was quite intimidating and scary. It was genuinely like something out of a film with a huge blackout."

The announcement the marathon had to be cancelled came on Friday.

Mr Price said: "It was a very strange feeling. Half of me very understanding considering how affected some people had been by Sandy, the other half of me just disappointed and very flat.

"Months of training and preparation to then not get the chance to run. I also felt that I’d let lots of people down by not completing the run. Especially people who’d donated."

The fundraisers had already reached their target of £7,000 which will go towards promoting healthy food in schools and communities.

Any excess will be donated to the New York Relief Fund and the victims of Sandy in the Caribbean and central America.

The team is now planning to run in a Sod Sandy pop up marathon in Hyde Park, London, on November 18 for UK runners affected by the superstorm.

You can still support the fundraising by visiting http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search for ‘Lewis Price’