My name is Pip, I've been running now for 2 years. It originated from a New Years resolution, starting with me getting out of breath and having to stop before I even got to the end of the road! I never thought that 2 years on I would be training to run my first marathon but here we are!!

I never really had a hobby, and never been into any sort of sport/fitness before. I,d never really thought about running, let's face it I thought what could be worse after doing a 9 hour shift at work?! But boy I was wrong. When I started running, for some reason it took all the stress of the day out of my mind. It allowed me time to think about what had gone on in the day, or what I might do on my day off. There was also a feeling of reward and achievement as I managed to build up the distance I could run, making me more confident in myself. 

That's why I'm running my first marathon for The Running Charity. Running can take away the pain from everyday life and is so rewarding.

The Running Charity believes that running is as good for your mind as it is for your body. Running builds resilience and self-esteem, and we use this to improve the lives of 16-25 year-olds who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Homelessness can happen at any time and to anyone. And when it happens to a young person it can affect them for the rest of their life. We use running to improve fitness and instil a goal-setting mentality that are key tools in helping these vulnerable young people to build healthy, sustainable futures.