Most people preparing for a marathon have months of training behind them. Loki Stokes has four weeks — and he found that out by accident.
When his friends started talking about running the Rome Marathon back in November, Loki joined the group booking, missed the entry window, and landed 3,000 places deep on the waitlist. He stopped thinking about it entirely. Then in January the waitlist dropped to 1,800 — and then by a further 1,000 in a single week. Rome was suddenly, terrifyingly, real.
Who is Loki?
Loki joined North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank in October 2025 as our food logistics manager — the person responsible for managing our warehouse, buying stock, and making sure every one of our outlets has what it needs, when it needs it. Keeping complex operations running smoothly is what Loki does. Running 42 kilometres through Rome on cobblestones in the heat is, by his own admission, something else entirely.
The course doesn’t make it easier. The 2026 Run Rome The Marathon on Sunday 22nd March takes runners past the Colosseum and St Peter’s Basilica on a mostly flat route — except for six kilometres of cobblestones that Loki suspects will ruin him. “It’s gonna be hot and cobbled and I’m just gonna fall over and pass out. Or both,” he says, with characteristic cheerfulness.
Running for something that matters
What’s driving Loki to the start line isn’t a lifelong love of running. It’s a genuine belief in what the foodbank does. “I love working for this charity,” he says. “It’s working with people in a crisis, and I feel charities that do that should try and get as much money as they can.”
Since joining the team, Loki has seen first-hand how quickly life can become chaotic for the people we support. “Food is one of the most fundamental things you need as a human being to survive. It feels like everyone should have access to it — and it’s upsetting to see that so many people we cater for every week don’t have that access.” That’s the reason he’s putting in the miles.
His training plan is refreshingly honest: three runs a week, slightly fewer pub visits, and a target finish time of 3:56:59 — one second faster than his dad’s personal best. Whatever happens on the day, he plans to recover with a Negroni somewhere in Rome and as much sitting down as possible.
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