Last summer my mum was diagnosed, seemingly out of the blue, with inoperable secondary liver cancer. The doctors could not define a time frame. To anyone who knew my mum - healthy, active and beautiful - this news was a huge shock. As we didn’t know how much time we had left with her we spent as much time together as a family as we could. My mum was incredible. In the end she died at home in her own bed with her family just 28 days after receiving her diagnosis. Her bravery and serenity in those extraordinary days has inspired us all.

I am running the marathon with my husband Joe tomorrow because we learnt last summer that life is unpredictable and can be shorter than you might expect. Although I have come last in every running race since the age of 5 and neither of us have a running background, we now find ourselves in a hotel full of elite Kenyan athletes. We will run with them (as in, a long way behind them) tomorrow because I hope that running a marathon will help another family. Please donate if you can. Thank you.