'Running for Madeleine' - ITV Daybreak interview, 18 April 2013

Kate's Page, 12 March 2013

Kate's Page Just Giving Kate McCann   Event: Virgin London Marathon 2013 on 21/04/2013 My story This year (old, crumbly body allowing) I will be running the London marathon in aid of Missing People as the charity celebrates its 20 anniversary. If I'm honest, I would happily have gone through my life without ever contemplating running a marathon, or even a half-marathon for that matter! However, knowing what it's like to be living with a child missing and believing very strongly in what the workers at the charity do in helping other families like mine, I realised it was a challenge that I had to take. As well as assisting the search for a missing loved one, Missing People provides a life-line to families who find themselves thrown into a nightmare of pain and uncertainty. I can vouch firsthand for the incredible hard work and commitment given by the staff at the charity to ease this suffering and help reunite families. I'm also aware though of how limited resources are and how much more the charity could, and would, offer with greater funding. I would be extremely grateful if you would be willing to sponsor me. Together we can give the charity a bit of a boost and in doing so, help the many children and adults who are missing and offer their families some invaluable support. It might also make all the aches and pains of training worthwhile! Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. ----------------- Donations (from Tapas 7)   Text version of above: Nothing is impossible! Donation by DFLSxxxx on 12/03/13 [David & Fiona Payne + children] £100.00 + £25.00 Gift Aid Good luck! We'll be cheering you on. Donation by Rachael Oldfield on 11/04/13 £50.00 + £12.50 Gift Aid Good luck. Hope the feet hold out long enough. Will be thinking of you Donation by Matthew Oldfield on 14/04/13 £50.00 + £12.50 Gift Aid No donations: Gerry McCann (& children), Jane Tanner, Russell O'Brien and Dianne Webster

Jane's 26.2 Miles for Missing People, 12 March 2013

Jane's 26.2 Miles for Missing People Just Giving Jane Tanner   Event: Virgin London Marathon 2013 on 21/04/2013 My story I will be attempting to run the London Marathon again on 21st April 2013 for Missing People, a charity very close to my heart. I thought long and hard about this decision. Would my body (and mind) cope a second time? Could I inflict it on my friends and family again? I find fundraising really hard so can I reach my target? However the benefits for doing it far exceeded any of these excuses, so here we go again. As well as assisting the search for a missing loved one, Missing People provides a life-line to the families who are left behind. Having witnessed the despair, torment and never ending hell that relatives of a missing person have to endure on a daily basis, I can't think of a more worthwhile charity to run for. As well as donating directly on this page you can also make a donation by text. Just text JAYT99 and the amount you want to donate e.g. £1, £5 or £10 to 70070. And finally I won't be attempting coloured hair this time!! Thank you so much for your continuing support. Love Jane xxx ------------------- Donations (from McCanns/Tapas 7)   Text version of above: Wonder woman, surely there are easier ways to get out of the house for some peace and quiet at the weekends! Have a great run Donation by matthew oldfield on 23/02/13 £50.00 + £12.50 Gift Aid Sitting here drinking a calorific white, feeling glutinous! Its good that there are people in the world like you Jane! Give it some JT Donation by DFLSxxxx on 12/03/13 [David & Fiona Payne + children] £100.00 + £25.00 Gift Aid Go Tanner! Hope your joints hold out. Love from me, E & E!!! Donation by Russ on 12/03/13 [Russell O'Brien] £100.00 + £25.00 Gift Aid What can we say? Twice? You're definitely bonkers....but we love you.....and thank you for everything!! Big hug. Donation by KGMSA xxxxx on 28/03/13 [Kate & Gerry McCann + Sean & Amelie]  £50.00 Fantastic for running it a second time! Go for it! Good luck. Donation by Rachael Oldfield on 11/04/13 £50.00 + £12.50 Gift Aid Donation by Dianne Webster on 18/04/13 £50.00

Official findmadeleine.com website update with request for London Marathon donations, March/April 2013

Kate McCann to run London Marathon, 12 March 2013

Kate McCann to run London Marathon ITV News Central Last updated Tue 12 Mar 2013 • 8:22PM, Tue 12 Mar 2013 Madeleine's parents, Kate and Jerry McCann Credit: ITV News The mother of missing Madeleine McCann, has announced that she'll be running the Virgin London Marathon 2013 in aid of the Missing People charity. Madeleine went missing in May 2007 while on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz. On her Just Giving page, Kate McCann said: "If I'm honest, I would happily have gone through my life without ever contemplating running a marathon, or even a half-marathon for that matter! "However, knowing what it's like to be living with a child missing and believing very strongly in what the workers at the charity do in helping other families like mine, I realised it was a challenge that I had to take." Kate and Jerry McCann live in Rothley, Leicestershire.

"A challenge I had to take": Maddy's mum Kate McCann to run the London Marathon for charity, 14 March 2013

"A challenge I had to take": Maddy's mum Kate McCann to run the London Marathon for charity Daily Mirror By Martin Fricker | 14 Mar 2013 00:00 Last year Kate ran a 10km race in the Miles for Missing People event alongside other families whose loved ones vanished The mother of Madeleine McCann is to run the London Marathon in aid of missing people. Kate McCann said that knowing what it’s like to be living with the agony of a missing child "it was a challenge that I had to take." Mrs McCann wrote on her Just Giving page: "This year (old, crumbly body allowing) I will be running the London Marathon in aid of Missing People as the charity celebrates its 20 anniversary. "If I'm honest, I would happily have gone through my life without ever contemplating running a marathon, or even a half-marathon for that matter! "However, knowing what it's like to be living with a child missing and believing very strongly in what the workers at the charity do in helping other families like mine, I realised it was a challenge that I had to take. "As well as assisting the search for a missing loved one, Missing People provides a life-line to families who find themselves thrown into a nightmare of pain and uncertainty. "I can vouch firsthand for the incredible hard work and commitment given by the staff at the charity to ease this suffering and help reunite families. "I'm also aware though of how limited resources are and how much more the charity could, and would, offer with greater funding. "I would be extremely grateful if you would be willing to sponsor me. "Together we can give the charity a bit of a boost and in doing so, help the many children and adults who are missing and offer their families some invaluable support. "It might also make all the aches and pains of training worthwhile!" The Virgin London Marathon is on April 21 - a month before the sixth anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance. Mrs McCann's fundraising target is £10,000 and she has already raised £2,000 in the first week. MISSING PEOPLE RUN Last year she ran a 10km race in the Miles for Missing People event in London's Regent Park, alongside other families whose loved ones vanished. She and husband Gerry have both previously done the run and wore matching white T-shirts bearing a smiling picture of their daughter and the words "Don't give up on me". The McCanns were on holiday with their three children in Praia da Luz, Portugal, when Madeleine went missing on May 3, 2007. Madeleine's family have never given up their quest to track down their missing daughter. * You can sponsor Kate McCann on her JustGiving page

Marathon gun nut's threat to kill Kate, 17 March 2013

Marathon gun nut's threat to kill Kate The Sun Cops probe vile web death threat to mum of missing Madeleine Target ... Kate McCann on a 10k race last year EXCLUSIVE By GARY O'SHEA Published: 17 March 2013 A SICK internet troll has threatened to gun down Kate McCann as she runs the London Marathon, it emerged yesterday. Cops are trying to trace the user who made the chilling comments on Facebook. Kate, 45 — mum of disappeared Madeleine — is taking part in next month’s run in aid of the Missing People charity. Sick ... Sheila Basher's tweet Under a link to a newspaper story on the event, the weirdo wrote: "Well I am going. Anyone got a gun? BBBanggggg!" Other trolls, who have made Kate and husband Gerry's lives hell with smears, piled in with further sick comments. One warped user wrote: "What would really spook her is if she is surrounded by a group all wearing Madeleine face masks." A few made jokes about entering police sniffer dogs into the event to chase after Kate. Vanished ... Madeleine McCann McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said yesterday: "This material has been brought to the attention of the police. "One of the posts is actually a death threat and is being dealt with appropriately." Kate's big run is on April 21 — just 12 days before the sixth anniversary of her three-year-old daughter's disappearance from a holiday villa in Praia Da Luz on Portugal's Algarve. The Sun launched a Target A Troll campaign in September 2011 after the McCanns were tormented. A source close to Kate said: "She has been told about these vile posts, but it will not put her off competing." A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We are aware of the comments posted online. These are currently being assessed."

'Anyone got a gun? Bang!': Chilling message by sick internet troll 'threatening to shoot Madeleine McCann's mother as she runs London Marathon', 17 March 2013

'Anyone got a gun? Bang!': Chilling message by sick internet troll 'threatening to shoot Madeleine McCann's mother as she runs London Marathon' Daily Mail Internet troll threatens to shoot Kate McCann as she prepares for marathon Police are looking into who made the threat In May it will be six years since her daughter Madeleine disappeared By Olivia Williams PUBLISHED: 02:05, 17 March 2013 | UPDATED: 02:06, 17 March 2013 Kate McCann has reportedly received a death threat as she prepares to run the London Marathon next month. It emerged yesterday that an internet troll threatened to shoot her in a Facebook post, according to the Sun. McCann, mother of Madeleine McCann who disappeared in 2007, is taking part in the Marathon to raise money for the Missing People charity. She will be running in her role as official ambassador for the charity. Under a link on Facebook about McCann, 45, doing the Marathon someone wrote: 'Well I am going to, Anyone got a Gun ? BBBangggggg? (sic)' The McCann's family spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, told the Sun: 'This material has been brought to the attention of the police. 'One of the posts is actually a death threat and is being dealt with appropriately' The London Marathon takes place on April 21 and McCann is expected to still take part. Earlier this month, police had a new lead in the hunt for Madeleine McCann. Police are now looking for team of British cleaners in white van who were working in the resort of Praia da Luz at the time. A white van has been mentioned in connection with Madeleine's disappearance before, but this is the first time a team of British cleaners has come up. A Metropolitan Police spokesman told MailOnline: 'Officers are reviewing all of the material in relation to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. 'This is routine procedure as part of the ongoing review.' Operation Grange was set up by the Metropolitan Police two years ago at the request of Prime Minister David Cameron following a plea by Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry, of Rothley, Leicestershire. In May it will be six years since Madeleine disappeared from the Portuguese holiday resort.

Trolls target Kate McCann, 17 March 2013

Trolls target Kate McCann Sunday Express (paper edition)   SEE PAGE 4 -------------------- Kate McCann target of cruel internet trolls Sunday Express SCOTLAND Yard is investigating a twisted internet troll who has taunted the mother of Madeleine McCann over her running in the London Marathon. By: Tracey Kandohla Published: Sun, March 17, 2013 The troll used a woman's name when she threatened 45-year-old doctor Kate McCann and said she should be among the crowds watching the race on April 21. Communicating with others threatening to sabotage Kate's race, the troll wrote: "Well I am going. Anyone got a gun? BBBanggggg!"   Mrs McCann has been told about the threat but has decided she will still take part in the 26-mile race because she is determined to raise £10,000 for the charity Missing People. She has already been pledged £8,000 in sponsorship. Security around her appearance may be reviewed by race organisers and police. Last week Scotland Yard detectives were sent details of the threat and are seeking to identify the troll through computer checks. A spokesman said: "We are aware of the comments posted online. These are currently being assessed." Officers will probably interview the troll under caution. Clar­ence Mitchell, the McCanns' family spokesman, said last night of the trolls, who post deliberately provocative messages: "There is constant activity by these ghouls. This material has been brought to the attention of the police. "It is a disgrace that people can say such things around an event which is designed to help others." Mr Mitchell added: "The trouble is that it is very hard to stop these people. They hide away behind their computer screens, blogging away." The anonymous owner of the web page carrying the offensive material wrote: "Watching over the diseased and perverted minds of those who troll and attack the family of missing Madeleine McCann, I in no way endorse what these vile people are doing and saying. I am showing how depraved they are." One abuser suggests people in the crowd should wear masks showing the face of the missing toddler. Madeleine was kidnapped from Praia da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal just a few days before her fourth birthday in May 2007.

An apology from Sheila Basher, 17 March 2013

An apology from Sheila Basher The Madeleine McCann CONTROVERSY Sheila Basher Sunday, 17 March 2013 at 13:28 I apologise to Kate Mccan for My stupid comment I posted on this group about getting a gun and shooting Her ,It was a silly comment not meant with malice ,And I am positive People Who know Me understand it was a comment posted in the haste of the moment and would not be a threat !!And after it was posted I realised it was a really dreadful thing to say !! And once again I openly apologise to Kate Macann!!

McCann supporters can be frightening trolls as well, 19 March 2013

McCann supporters can be frightening trolls as well examiner.com By: CHELSEA HOFFMAN | MARCH 19, 2013 Madeleine McCann remains "missing" and probably won't ever be found, especially if you go by the evidence found that indicates the child's death. Anyway, the latest updates in this case don't involve bogus "sightings" for a change. Instead it looks like Kate and Gerry McCann are the target of internet trolls who have reportedly gone as far as to make death threats. On March 17, 2013 International Business Times shared the report, and it was also covered on March 18, 2013 on Parent Dish with many of the same details. However, in this breaking report I'm sharing some of the behavior made by trolls on the side of those who support the McCann camp -- and it's rather frightening to see the type of mentality that rabidly attacks in support of Kate and Gerry after all that can be read here about the case. Over the course of the past 24 hours several hate-filled and venomous emails were sent by one person who is in support of Kate and Gerry McCann. The person who was so angry after reading this Gather News article, sent over a dozen emails using words like "white trash" and the "B word." The person also made attempts at attacking me on Facebook and Twitter showing a stalker tendency that is almost intimidating if it weren't for the fact that there is an entire ocean separating us. After doing a little research I found that this is the norm as far as the Madeleine McCann case goes. The internet is a volatile place of division when it comes to this internationally famous missing person case. Many people believe the evidence against Kate and Gerry McCann, but there are others who refuse to acknowledge the evidence, who are so violently in support of the McCanns that they resort to making horrendous attacks -- much like whoever made death threats against Kate recently. What is absolutely interesting, and perhaps disappointing, is the level of bias in UK reporting as well as how officials work in the UK. You see, internet trolls on Facebook are being investigated for death threats for making off color remarks about the McCann family -- yet those who are in support of this family commit acts just as vile and mean with as much vitriol and criminal intent (stalking for instance!) yet nothing is done and the media does nothing to report on the fact that both sides of the division have nuts who are guilty of making others look bad. Hopefully some good news comes out of all of this hateful behavior, because at the end of the day a little girl is still "missing" and until some hard evidence is found to prove otherwise there will always be that hope and desperation behind the search for her -- at least for those who believe she is out there somewhere.

Kate McCann: 'It's dreadful living with this void', 15 April 2013

Kate McCann: 'It's dreadful living with this void' The Telegraph Six years after her daughter Madeleine disappeared, a weary Kate McCann still clings to the hope that one day she will be found By Elizabeth Grice 6:00AM BST 15 Apr 2013 Kate McCann did something frighteningly normal the other day. She stopped at a petrol station, filled up, locked the car and went in to pay, leaving her eight-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie, strapped in the back seat. As she stood anxiously at the till, they pulled faces at her through the window. "It was the first time in six years that I have been able to do that," she says. "I was very conscious of what I was doing. I left them behind for a few moments. All the time they were in view. They used to protest when I took them inside with me to pay, though they knew it was, as Sean once said, "because someone might take me". It is almost exactly six years since their older sister, Madeleine, vanished while on a family holiday in Portugal and became the focus of one of the most intense, prolonged and high-profile public campaigns ever mounted to find a missing person. In that time, and despite many investigations and false accusations – the most hellish being that the McCanns were themselves implicated in their daughter's disappearance – not a single piece of evidence has emerged to show that she is dead. Kate and Gerry McCann, balancing realism and optimism, believe it is possible that their daughter, just a few days from her fourth birthday when she was abducted, will be found. How else would they go on? "As there is nothing to suggest that Madeleine is not alive," says Kate, "we have to keep looking for her. We all know there are cases of missing children, presumed dead, who have been found alive years, sometimes decades, later." Little by little, they have schooled themselves not to dwell on the lurid possibilities that tormented them in the early days – that their daughter had been snatched by a paedophile network or met with a cruel death – but they are never free of questions, and sometimes they are ambushed by old fears. "None of the scenarios is good when your child has been taken," she says. "You're in a dark place some of the time. You get upset. You get angry. I have spent hours thinking of the possibilities. Do I want to know what happened? I've sat myself down and asked myself: if you knew and it was truly awful, would that help?" Her familiar sharp-boned face looks weary. At 45 she is pretty, but lines of anxiety show at her mouth and crease her forehead. She seems poised, not in a studied way but like a person suspended. Although she says she and Gerry are "in a better place" than at any time since Madeleine was taken, her sentences sound as though they are coming from a long way off. "Living in limbo with this void and uncertainty is truly dreadful. It's hard to rest, to find peace. It's unsettling and uncomfortable all the time. Even on a 'good' day, that feeling is lurking. And of course you can never stop until you know; you're on a treadmill you can't get off. It's draining. Until you know, there is no true peace. We need to know for us and we need to know for Sean and Amelie so that, God forbid, in another 10 years or so they don't have to cope with this distressing limbo, too." For the moment, Madeleine is as real to them, and to the whole family, as an absent person could be. They talk about her all the time, observe her birthdays with a party and gifts, give her Christmas presents and fill a keepsake box with things they think she would like – drawings, school work, sweets, a leaf. Kate fills Christmas stockings for three. "There is part of me that has to do it." There are photographs of Madeleine everywhere. Her room at the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, is as she left it when they went on holiday, plus the unopened presents. Kate opens and closes the curtains twice a day and sometimes stays to absorb what she can of Madeleine. It is not what everyone would choose to do, she agrees, but it is her way. Sean and Amelie still share a bedroom. Soon there will be the practical issue of what to do with a "spare" room one of them may need. "But that was the room she left and it would be familiar to her. It would be hard to dismantle it." Gerry, 44, a cardiologist, has a more practical turn of mind. "So in time we may perhaps look at it differently." The twins' understanding of what happened in Praia da Luz on the night of May 3 2007 is matter-of-fact and unafraid. "We explain it like a burglary," says Kate. "You must never take something that doesn't belong to you. Madeleine belonged to our family and someone who had no right to her took her away. We also explain that this is very rare. It doesn't happen every day." Touchingly, the parents' protectiveness and resolve is echoed by their children. When Sean was little more than a toddler, he reassured them: "Me and Amelie will go on looking for Madeleine." At school, they talk about their missing sister to other people. "I have to ask: 'Is this all right?'" says Kate. "Because I know some people like to pretend it didn't happen and the world's a lovely place." Throughout that disbelieving summer, the international news was dominated by a single crime and a single small face. Madeleine was snatched from her bed between regular checks made by her parents, who were dining with friends in a tapas bar 50 metres away from the apartment. They thought the arrangement was so normal, so ideal, that they never questioned it, and plenty of sympathetic parents told them they would have done exactly the same. There were accusations of neglect, too, but no one was harder on the couple than they were themselves. "We thought we had worked out the best plan," Kate says. "It seems very different now. I have persecuted myself about that decision for years, even though deep down I knew I was a caring parent and how much I loved my children." In the early months, even years, she despised her daughter's unknown thief. "The thought of her feeling fear and wanting and needing her mummy and daddy provoked so much pain. It still does, when I wander down that particular path." Kate is a practising Catholic, and when asked about forgiveness she used to say she needed to understand the motive. Now, tentatively, she feels differently. "I think I could probably forgive Madeleine's abductor whatever the circumstances. I don't know whether it's simply because I'm stronger or because there's no benefit in not forgiving someone. I can't change anything and I don't want to be eaten up by hatred and bitterness. And maybe there is an element of pity – what kind of person could do something like this? Of course, forgiveness will always be easier if there is remorse." The Scotland Yard review of the case, set up two years ago, has brought the McCanns a degree of equanimity because it relieves them of the burden of maintaining the search through private investigators. "Emotionally, it helps," Kate says. "We were doing so much ourselves. Now at least it is not totally down to us. We have been able to switch off a little bit. If we go away, we know there is work going on. We are encouraged by what the Met team has done and found. They have uncovered so much." Thirty officers are working full-time on Operation Grange. "As time goes on, it is hard to maintain the level of motivation but, if anything, they are more determined now. But we still want the Portuguese police to reopen the investigation [closed in July 2008]. We want to find our daughter and the person who committed this very serious crime. This case needs to be solved. Why would anyone not want to solve it?" Meantime, there is no let-up in the McCanns' fundraising and awareness campaign Find Madeleine (whose 10th birthday is on May 12). Their all-consuming focus is, and has been, astonishing. Kate, a former GP, has become an ambassador for the charity Missing People, which supports the families of some of the 250,000 who go missing in Britain each year. A transition, maybe, from personal grief to a concern for people who lack her own professional acumen and whose bleak stories do not make the headlines. "Before Madeleine went missing," she admits, "I was horrifyingly ignorant about this issue myself. It really is much bigger than people realise." Despite having had huge problems with her Achilles' tendons during training, and spurred on by her children and the messages of sponsors, Kate aims to raise £20,000 for the charity by running the London Marathon on Sunday. "I am a finisher. I'll get round if I have to crawl." Jo Youle, CEO of Missing People, can testify to that. "Kate's perseverance is truly inspirational," she says. "For families like hers, facing the toughest time of their lives when a child goes missing, Kate's marathon gives hope." There are other reasons to be thankful. Once, Kate McCann was afraid that the intensity of grief would threaten their marriage, because she could not bear to take pleasure or comfort in the physical side of their relationship. "I'm pleased, and relieved, to say our relationship is really good," she says. "Given that we've made it through so many awful things over the past six years – and not just made it through but are united, strong and very happy together – then we can make it through anything. We'll survive." Nor are the many reported sightings of Madeleine as upsetting as they used to be. "I am able to rein in my emotions quite easily. [The reports] need to have real credibility. It is encouraging, though, six years on, that people are still looking and haven't forgotten about Madeleine – that in itself gives us hope. "There are moments when you despair, but they are infrequent now. As someone said: It's not that your burden gets any lighter. It's just that your legs get stronger. That really sums it up."

MADDIE I forgive snatcher says mum, 17 April 2013

MADDIE I forgive snatcher says mum Daily Star   ------------------ Maddie snatcher 'forgiven' Daily Star By Emily Hall 17th April 2013 MADELEINE McCann's mum has forgiven the beast who snatched her little girl during a family holiday in Portugal six years ago. Kate McCann, 45, said: "There's no benefit in not forgiving someone." The mum once despised whoever snatched the three-year-old as she slept on a family holiday in 2007. But she now says she and husband Gerry have made peace with the person who turned their lives upside down. Catholic Kate said: "I think I could probably forgive Madeleine's abductor whatever the circumstances. "I don't know whether it's simply because I'm stronger or because there's no benefit in not forgiving someone. "I can't change anything and don't want to be eaten up by hatred and bitterness. "And maybe there is an element of pity – what kind of person could do something like this?" Madeleine disappeared just days before her fourth birthday as she slept with her brother and sister in a holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz. Despite dozens of alleged sightings, a massive police hunt and a separate investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the little girl has never been found. Kate says she has grown to live with the horror, but still throws a birthday party for her daughter every year. The McCanns buy Maddie gifts and fill a stocking for her at Christmas. Her bedroom also remains untouched since the family returned from the fateful holiday where she disappeared. Kate, 45, said: "There is part of me that has to do it. That was the room she left and it would be familiar to her. It would be hard to dismantle it." Kate says that although she and Gerry are now in a "better place" they will never get over their devastating loss. She will run the London Marathon this Sunday in aid of national missing person's charity Missing People. She said: "Living in limbo with this void and uncertainty is truly dreadful. "It's hard to rest, to find peace. Even on a good day that feeling is lurking. "And of course you can never stop until you know. You're on a treadmill and you can't get off. It's draining. "There are moments where you despair, but they are infrequent now."

Kate McCann Interview - ITV Daybreak, 18 April 2013

Kate McCann Interview ITV Daybreak Transcript By Nigel Moore Lorraine Kelly: Still to come this morning, why Kate McCann is more determined than ever to run the London Marathon this weekend. Kate is with us right after the break. We'll see you in a couple of minutes. [break] [07:21] Lorraine Kelly: Welcome back. Almost six years - it's unbelievable to think - have passed since Madeleine McCann was abducted while on holiday in Portugal. John Stapleton: Today her mother Kate is preparing for Sunday's London Marathon and she joins us now, as you can see. Good to see you. How's it going? You've been training really hard, haven't you? Kate McCann: Yeah, no, it's been quite a slog and I think anybody who attempts a marathon knows there's a lot of training involved. And it's... it's gone well, really until the last five weeks. John Stapleton: What happened then? Kate McCann: Errm... I've got a couple of problems. I've had recurrent achilles tendon problems, errm... to my right achilles - kicked off five weeks ago - and I've also, errm... got a problem with the joint in my... my left foot. Lorraine Kelly: Now, anybody else would have probably thought 'this isn't a good idea to do this Marathon'. Did you think about pulling out? Kate McCann: Well, I think at that stage, I think when you're so far down the line, it... it's really hard to pull out and for all the reasons, you know, I've... I've said I'll do it for. It was just so hard, so... Lorraine Kelly: Because you're doing it for a charity that is so close to your heart, aren't you? Kate McCann: Yeah, I mean, I'm doing it for Missing People and I think they need the support and if I can help in any way then I want to. John Stapleton: Unbelievably, you've had abuse. Kate McCann: Yeah, I mean we've obviously had a lot of abuse over the last six years, so in some ways it... it's nothing new. I think we tend to get a little bit blasé, which is wrong because you shouldn't do because it... it... it's bad, you know, and, errm... John Stapleton: This is internet abuse, is it? Kate McCann: It is internet abuse and we both feel very strongly that more should be done about internet abuse. Lorraine Kelly: It's shameful, absolutely shameful, it really is. Kate McCann: It is. I mean, people wouldn't get away with behaving like that on the street, and yet they feel that they can hide behind a computer at home. Lorraine Kelly: It's totally cowardly, it really is, but you always... you always rise above it. You have to, I guess. Kate McCann: Well, we do, you know, but we do have children and, you know, even sometimes when I just think they're cowards and, you know, I'm not even going to go there, then I think about my children and I think it's not right that they should come across stuff like that as well. John Stapleton: How are they, by the way? Kate McCann: Smashing, brilliant, really good, yeah. They're eight now, so, errm... Lorraine Kelly: It's extraordinary that that amount of time has... has gone... has gone by. It is six years now, almost, isn't it? Kate McCann: I know, I mean, sometimes it's hard for me. I think 'where have those six years gone?', I mean they've been really busy but at the same time it's just hard to get your head round the fact that... Lorraine Kelly: [cuts off Kate's sentence] But you do keep Madeleine's memory... you keep her spirit alive all the time, you talk about her all the time, don't you? The twins talk about her all the time as well. Kate McCann: Oh yeah, I mean, she's very much part of our life every day, errm... she's part of our family and she's included in everything that we... we talk about and plan. John Stapleton: Are you still, understandably, very protective of... of your twins? Kate McCann: Well, yeah, I mean, I think I was a bit before anyway, errm... to be honest, errm... I am aware though that as they get a little bit older and it becomes natural that they should have a bit more freedom that that is going to be a tough time for me. Lorraine Kelly: It is hard anyway but doubly hard for you I would think. Kate McCann: Yeah, it's going to be a challenge. Lorraine Kelly: Definitely. Are they going to be there on Sunday, are they going to watching you? Kate McCann: Yeah, the family are coming and friends and... Lorraine Kelly: As we know, with what happened in Boston, which was absolutely horrendous, was there any thought in your mind thinking 'well, I'll do it but I don't want them at the finishing line', or are you just not thinking like that? Kate McCann: There was a little bit, I have to be honest. I mean, you know, it does stop and make you think and, you know, they hear the news themselves now, so they asked me about it, and I tell them what happened, errm... but then I talk them through it. I mean, they're fine. I suppose kids are different really, they don't always see the potential danger in things but, you know, I think the sensible thing is to go. We know security is gonna be good. I mean, as I said, errm... the other day, we can't live in fear and there's so much good that comes out of events like this, it's just wrong that more people should have to suffer, so... Lorraine Kelly: Absolutely. Kate McCann: ...we'll be there. Lorraine Kelly: Well said. John Stapleton: We wish you well. Lorraine Kelly: We really do wish you well, and I'll be talking to you after half past eight. Its lovely to see you. Kate McCann: Can I just say, as well, 'thank you' to everybody who has sponsored me and helped the charity, we really appreciate it. Lorraine Kelly: Of course, and they can still do that can't they? Kate McCann: They can, they can. John Stapleton: Even if you have to walk it. Kate McCann: Yeah. Thank you. Lorraine Kelly: You will do it, you will definitely do it. Kate McCann: Yeah. I'll do it. Lorraine Kelly: Thank you. Kate McCann: Thank you.

Kate McCann Interview - ITV Lorraine, 18 April 2013

Kate McCann Interview ITV Lorraine Transcript By Nigel Moore [08:41] Lorraine Kelly: Now, my next guest has faced an unimaginable nightmare for any parent, since her daughter Madeleine disappeared almost six years ago now while on a family holiday in Portugal. Since then Kate McCann has tirelessly campaigned for her daughter's safe return. One of the ways she does that is through fundraising and on Sunday she's going to be running the London Marathon and joins me now. It's really good to see you and then, I know you've suffered terrible injuries, errm... trying to do this marathon on Sunday. How are you? Kate McCann: I'm okay, I hope, errm.... I would say everything was going pretty well until about five weeks ago. The main problem is... is my feet really. I've had operations on my feet and they've done me well for the last twenty-nine years but I think it's been quite a lot; the marathon training. Lorraine Kelly: Mmm... It is hard, it is hard, you know, it really is, but you're a... you're a good runner. I mean, you've done, you know, fundraising runs... Kate McCann: [cuts in on Lorraine] From here or from...? Lorraine Kelly: [laughs] ... but you have done them before and done incredibly well and is it something... I guess it's.. it's a way of keeping Madeleine in the public eye as well as perhaps you doing something for her. Kate McCann: It is. I mean, obviously I'm running the marathon on Sunday for the charity Missing People. So it's not just about Madeleine. Obviously Madeleine is always on my mind but I'm doing this really to help lots of people who are missing; children and vulnerable adults and obviously the families as well, similar to ours. Lorraine Kelly: Of course. I think it's remarkable that you... that you're doing that because it's a real... it's a tough one to do, especially with injuries... Kate McCann: Yeah. Lorraine Kelly: ...errm... and especially in light of what's happened in... in Boston. I mean, there must have been a little part of you that maybe thought 'Mmm... I'm not sure'. It's actually taking the family to the finishing line. Kate McCann: Yeah, a little bit. I mean, these... these events always make you stop and think about things but, you know, we can't live in fear, we can't live waiting for somebody who behaves in an incomprehensible way to do something like that. I mean, there's so many people that have suffered in Boston already and like everybody else, our wishes are with them but more people will suffer if we don't turn up on Sunday. Lorraine Kelly: No, that's true. I've got a feeling that more people than ever will turn up. I think that the streets will be absolutely lined and it's the crowd that really help you. I mean, you will be fine... Kate McCann: [cuts in on Lorraine] I hope so. Lorraine Kelly: ...You're the kind of woman, you will do it. If you have to crawl over that finishing line, you... Kate McCann: [cuts in on Lorraine] I'm quite determined. Lorraine Kelly: You are very determined and you absolutely will do it, I'm... I'm sure... I'm sure that you will. Errm... and as you said, Madeleine is with you all the time... Kate McCann: Yeah. Lorraine Kelly: ...Of course, she's part of the family in the sense that you obviously talk about her all the time. The twins are very aware of their big sister, aren't they? Kate McCann: No, I mean, everyday Madeleine will come up in conversation, errm... whenever we talk about the family, Madeleine's always included in that... Lorraine Kelly: Yeah. Kate McCann: ...and they've... they've grown up obviously with their big sister missing but she's very much part of their life and they're always incredibly positive about Madeleine and what she means to our family. Lorraine Kelly: And the fact is I... inevitably you're going to be much more concerned about them, in the sense of wrapping them up in cotton wool and just, you know, being more vigilant. Of course... of course you will but, errm... it's getting a little bit easier. You were able, I think, the other day, to actually get petrol and leave them in the car rather than taking them with you. Kate McCann: Yeah, well that's... Lorraine Kelly: You could still see them all the time. Kate McCann: I was about six feet away from them. Lorraine Kelly: Yeah. Kate McCann: But I was very conscious that 'I am doing this and I haven't done this in the last...', you know, however many years and, errr... the car was locked and I could see them... Lorraine Kelly: Of course. Kate McCann: ...but I did acknowledge it as, errm... a change and I guess it's progress, in a way, because obviously that is safe [laughs], errm... and when they get a little bit older they are gonna have to have a little bit of freedom, you know. Lorraine Kelly: It... it's hard for anyone, you know, any parent to... to actually give their... their child that freedom; for you, doubly hard and that is going to be really difficult because, of course, you can't keep them... they've got to be allowed to fly. Kate McCann: You can't... they've got... they've gotta live, they've gotta develop and I know that and... but at the same time I know that it's gonna be a big challenge for me really and I'm gonna have to deal with it when the time comes. Lorraine Kelly: Completely understandable. As far as the search for Madeleine goes, that's absolutely ongoing, isn't it? Kate McCann: It is, yeah, no. The Metropolitan Police now have been doing the review for almost two years, errm... they're working really hard and we're really... well, we're really impressed with everything that they've done and... and what they've found actually and we're really grateful that they're so motivated and committed and... Lorraine Kelly: And we can see this image here of what we think she might look like but we... we... obviously we don't know but that gives people an indication and you've had so many over the years. You've had so many false hopes but actually it... it's better to have those than absolutely nothing, isn't it? Kate McCann: I mean, the most important thing to remember is people are still looking and, you know, we've... as you say, we've had thousands and thousands of sightings and I... I don't get really excited about them now, you know, unless there's some big credibility attached to it but I'm just really grateful that people are still looking and they haven't forgotten. And even when the news goes quiet, you know, people are still looking... Lorraine Kelly: Yeah. Kate McCann: So... Lorraine Kelly: And you can live a relatively normal life; relatively. Kate McCann: Yeah. Lorraine Kelly: But the search goes on. I mean, I know, because I know you and I know you will never... never give up. Kate McCann: No, we won't. We'll never stop and I don't think, you know, any parent could, to be honest, but we do... we do live fairly normally in between, errm... certain times and I think the fact that the Metropolitan Police are working helps as well because we don't feel like we're having to carry the burden and work every minute of every day, as well. Lorraine Kelly: Absolutely. I wish you all the best for Sunday Kate McCann: Thank you. Lorraine Kelly: I know what it's like, errm... having done it before... Kate McCann: I know. Lorraine Kelly: ...you will be absolutely fine. You're... you're so strong... Kate McCann: [cuts in on Lorraine] Can I... can I just thank everybody Lorraine who's... who's sponsored the charity, so... we're grateful. Lorraine Kelly: Yes, of course, and if people do want to sponsor you they can go to the website, do all of that, they still can sponsor you... Kate McCann: Yeah. Lorraine Kelly: ...for a very, very good cause. Kate McCann: Yeah. Lorraine Kelly: Thank you so much. Kate McCann: Thank you. Lorraine Kelly: Great to see you and good luck. I'll be looking out for you on Sunday. Kate McCann: Yeah [laughs]. Lorraine Kelly: Right, after the break...

'I want to protect my children from cowardly internet trolls': Madeleine McCann's mother Kate on being target of online abuse ahead of London Marathon run, 18 April 2013

'I want to protect my children from cowardly internet trolls': Madeleine McCann's mother Kate on being target of online abuse ahead of London Marathon run Daily Mail Spoke on ITV's Daybreak with Lorraine Kelly and John Stapleton Is running Virgin London Marathon on Sunday in aid of Missing People Her daughter Maddie was abducted in Portugal in 2007, aged three Doesn't want twin children Amelie and Sean, eight, to see internet abuse By Martha De Lacey PUBLISHED: 13:15, 18 April 2013 | UPDATED: 14:26, 18 April 2013 Kate McCann, whose three-year-old daughter Madeleine was abducted in Portugal in 2007, has spoken about being the target of internet abuse for taking part in the Virgin London Marathon this Sunday. Speaking on ITV's Daybreak this morning, McCann, 45, who has been training to run in aid of the charity Missing People, an organisation which offers a lifeline of support when someone disappears, said she believes more needs to be done to tackle online trolls. Under a link on Facebook about McCann doing the Marathon someone wrote: 'Well I am going to, Anyone got a Gun? BBBangggggg? (sic)'. Police are looking in to who made the threat. She told Daybreak: 'We have obviously had a lot of abuse over the last six years, so in some ways it's nothing new. I think we tend to get a little bit blasé, which is wrong because you shouldn't do because it's bad.' McCann continued: 'It is internet abuse and we both feel really strongly that more should be done about internet abuse. People wouldn't get away with behaving like that in the street and yet they feel like they can hide behind a computer at home.' McCann, who also has eight-year-old twins Amelie and Sean with her husband Gerry, continued: 'We do have children. Even sometimes when I do think they're cowards and I'm not even going to go there, then I think about my children and I think it's not right that they should come across stuff like that as well.' Speaking to presenters Lorraine Kelly and John Stapleton, the mother-of-three revealed she plans to go ahead with the marathon, despite some recent knock-backs to her health. She explained: 'It's been quite a slog and I think anybody who attempts a marathon knows there's a lot of training involved. 'And it's gone well really until the last five weeks. I've got a couple of problems, I've had a recurrent Achilles tendon problems... and I've also got a problem with the joint in my left foot.' Speaking to The Sun recently about the internet abuse, he McCann's family spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: 'This material has been brought to the attention of the police. One of the posts is actually a death threat and is being dealt with appropriately.'

Maddie: Death threat fears for twins, 19 April 2013

Maddie: Death threat fears for twins Daily Star   McCanns blast internet haters THE mother of missing Madeleine McCann is terrified for her other two children after receiving sick death threats. Kate McCann has also told how twisted internet trolls have even threatened to shoot her when she runs the London Marathon this weekend. Full story: Page 5 ----------------- McCann fears for twins Daily Star   By Emily Hall 19th April 2013 THE mother of Madeleine McCann is terrified for her other two children after receiving sick online death threats. Kate, whose eldest daughter disappeared aged three in 2007, told how internet trolls have vowed to kill her this weekend. And the chilling threat has made her fear for twins Amelie and Sean, now eight. "We have obviously had a lot of abuse over the last six years, so in some ways it's nothing new," she said. "People wouldn't get away with behaving like that in the street and yet they feel like they can hide behind a computer at home." But she told ITV Daybreak host Lorraine Kelly: "Even sometimes when I do think they're cowards and I’m not even going to go there, I think about my children and I think it's not right that they should come across stuff like that as well. "I think we tend to get a little bit blasé, which is wrong because you shouldn't do because it's bad. It is internet abuse and we both feel really strongly that more should be done about it." Kate, 45, and husband Gerry, 46, of Rothley, Leics, have suffered online abuse since Maddie was abducted on a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, nearly six years ago. But things took a more sinister turn when a yob threatened on Facebook to shoot her as she runs the London Marathon for charity Missing People. However, when Lorraine, 53, wished her good luck in Sunday's event, Kate managed her first public smile in six years. One viewer said: "It was nice to see her less strained. She's been through so much." ------------------ Kate's all heart Daily Star Forum (paper edition, page 29) • kate mccann has a big heart. personally i would hang the b£st%rd who took madeleine. paysalot pete • Can't believe Kate Mccann saying she forgives Maddie's abductor. There ain't a mother on earth that wld forgive that. Swampy Duck

Kate McCann among runners at London Marathon, 21 April 2013

Kate McCann among runners at London Marathon ITV 8:15AM SUN 21 APR 2013 Kate McCann to run London Marathon for missing people charity Credit: Missing People Charity Kate McCann, the mother of missing Leicestershire girl Madeleine, is running the London Marathon today. Kate, from Rothley in Leicestershire is an ambassador of the Missing People charity and is aiming to raise £20,000 to mark its 20th anniversary.

London reclaims marathon spirit with Boston tribute, 21 April 2013

London reclaims marathon spirit with Boston tribute The Guardian Race preceded by 30-second silence for US bomb victims, with some runners wearing ribbons and praising huge crowd support Caroline Davies Sunday 21 April 2013 19.37 BST Link to video: London Marathon observes silence for Boston bomb victims Defiant runners and supporters claimed back much of the marathon spirit on Sunday as around 36,000 people pounded London's streets cheered on by an estimated crowd of half a million. Black ribbons, worn by many, and a 30-second silence at the start, acknowledged the Boston bombing which, six days ago, claimed the lives of three and injured up to 180. On a gloriously sunny Sunday competitors and spectators refused to allow the atrocity to redefine a sporting event which so embodies indomitable human spirit, benevolence and endeavour. This was the first major international marathan since the double bomb attack on the finish line at Boston. Many thoughts were for those for whom event commentator Geoff Wightman described, when announcing the half-minute silence over loudspeakers, "a day of joy turned into a day of sadness". Tatyana McFadden, the Russian-born US Paralympian, won the women's wheelchair race and also won it in Boston. "This whole weekend was dedicated to Boston and we got huge support from London. So, I couldn't be happier – just getting support, It was just a wonderful day," she said. Among the tributes Sean Boyle, 37, from Blackburn stood out, with dyed blue and yellow mohawk and the word "Boston" written in black ink over his red face paint. Martin Connell, 42, an IT worker from Merseyside, wore a picture on his vest of eight-year-old Boston victim Martin Richard. Surgeon Bill Speake, 42, from Derby, said as he crossed the finish in two hours 45 minutes: "It was particularly poignant at the start, standing there at Blackheath in complete silence. It was the right thing to do. It should have been done, and it was done. When it [the bombing] happened, you had a little shock to begin with. But there was no question of not running. I think it spurred people on even more." Marathons were always a potential target, he added: "But you didn't ever think it would happen." Debbie Appleton, 41, a part-time admin assistant from Chelmsford, Essex was cheered on by her husband and two young daughters, aged two and six. "Nothing was going to stop them coming," she said, after finishing in around two hours 48 minutes. "I think people just wanted to go out there today and prove that nothing was going to deter us. The 30 seconds' silence at the beginning was very moving." The tributes were everywhere, from black ribbons to black armbands. Security was intense, with a 40% increase in planned police presence. Marathon staff, officials and medical staff underwent thorough bag searches before being allowed access to the finish line. Virgin London Marathon pledged to donate £2 for every finisher to the One Fund Boston, set up to raise money for the victims of the explosions. The show of respect by the London runners served to underline the close ties between Britain and America, said Barbara Stephenson, charge d'affaires at the US embassy in London. "We've had responses from Her Majesty the Queen, all through Twitter from the British people, and now we have got tens of thousands of London Marathon runners wearing a black ribbon in solidarity with the people of Boston." She added: "It's moments like this when you know what the special relationship's really all about." Shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, running his second London marathon, said it was important to show that Britain would "carry on regardless" despite the Boston bombing. Balls, who completed in five hours and 14 minutes, revealed he had been sponsored by his despatch box foe, George Osborne, who had donated £25 each to the shadow chancellor's charities, Stammering Children and Whizz-Kidz. Running in "my first and only" marathon, Kate McCann, whose daughter Madeleine was abducted in Portugal, was running for the charity Missing People, cheered on by her husband Gerry and twins, aged eight. "It's a glorious day," she said. "But, of course, we all remembered Boston. There was absolute silence at the start. It was very moving. Everyone here supported Boston. There was a very strong feeling that people won't be dictated to by other people who want to do such a terrible thing." Prince Harry, who was making the presentation for the event, said cancelling his appearance "was never an option". Paying tribute to the "remarkable way Boston's people had dealt with the atrocity, he said London's response and the huge crowds were "fantastic" and typically British. "The great thing about the marathon is no matter what colour you are, or religion, no matter what nationality you are, everyone comes together to run a certain distance to raise money for amazing causes. I think that you can never take that away from people." Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m gold medallist Mo Farah, who ran only half the course in preparation for competing in next year's marathon for a reported combined fee of £425,000, described the atmosphere as "incredible". "I didn't think there was going to be as many people as today," added Farah. He admitted oversleeping, and had to make a sprint to get to the start line on time. Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede won the men's race in two hours, six minutes and four seconds. Kenyan Priscah Jeptoo won the women's race, crossing the line in two hours, 20 minutes and 15 seconds. Paralympian David Weir, who took four golds at London 2012 and is a six-time London marathon champion, was disappointed with his fifth place but would "bounce back". He added: "People were out in force and weren't scare of what happened on Monday [in Boston]. That shows you the true spirit of the British public." More than 5,000 runners and spectators were treated by St John's Ambulance volunteers, mostly for cramp, sprains, exhaustion and vomiting. More than 40 competitors were taken to hospital suffering from more serious conditions including exercise associated collapse and suspected fractures. The casualty figure was slightly higher than last year because the early part of the race saw warmer weather.

Brits give two fingers to the terrorists, 22 April 2013

Brits give two fingers to the terrorists Daily Star   'Marathon of defiance' PRINCE HARRY paid tribute to brave Brits who defied terror fears to run yesterday's London Marathon. Half a million fans and 36,000 runners, including Kate McCann, left, made it a memorable day as they showed solidarity with the Boston victims. Full story: Pages 4,5,6&7 ---------------- Kate McCann says thanks for London Marathon support Daily Star By Marc Walker 22nd April 2013 IT was an emotional day for Kate McCann, the mother of missing Madeleine, as she ran in memory of her daughter. Kate, 45, who finished the race in around four hours, took part to raise vital cash for the charity Missing People. She said: "The charity asked me if I was interested. "The initial answer was no, but then the seed was sown and I knew it would create awareness. "Obviously, we know what it's like to have someone missing, but there are a lot of families out there like us. I want to say thank you to everyone who sponsored me." She was supported by her husband Gerry, 46, and their twin children Sean and Amelie, eight. The couple, of Rothley, Leics, have been searching for Maddie since the youngster disappeared aged three in 2007 in Praia da Luz, Portugal, during a family holiday. Madeleine vanished on May 3, just a few days before her fourth birthday.