In 2023 my Father will be turning 70 and we will be running the London Marathon together. It’s my first ever Marathon and my Dads 66th. He lives to run and runs to live. 

 Honestly, my father didn’t think he would ever make it past the age of 60. The three generations of men before him all died in their 50s from sudden heart failure, his Grandad aged56 and his Father aged 53. His Brother, my Uncle Fred died aged 58 a few days after asking my Dad what age he would be on his coming birthday. My Dad replied,” that dreaded 53”.Uncle Fred replied he had the same fears for himself at that age.

I never knew the effects that losing two generations before him had on my Uncle. But the year before my Dad turned 60 I can say that I truly believed my Father would die from the stress of worrying that he wouldn’t make 60. It had a significant impact on his mental health, and running is the thing I believe saved him both mentally and physically. 

Dad is an avid runner. Me, well not so much. But we want to run one Marathon together. And this will be it. It seems only right that it’s in support of The British Heart Foundation and in memory of our loved ones.  

It’s going to be very difficult for me to train as my husband Sam will be away for work during a huge part of my training schedule, so there will be lots of treadmill training which isn’t my ideal. When I do run, it’s usually to feel free, alone and recharge. So not only is the training going to be hard for me, but also the race itself with such large numbers of runners as I get quite claustrophobic. But, I know that I can do this because I will be running to raise funds for this very deserving cause, and am looking forward to taking on the challenge and creating memories of me and my Dad running a London Marathon together. 

Thank you for taking the time to look at our story and consider making a donation.  We know that times are tough. I have set the target to be raised at £2500 because this is the minimum one can raise for a charity place for the Marathon. I have paid a separate fee for the race entry, so all monies raised goes straight to the British Heart Foundation to support their vital work and not to funding the race entry. 

The British Heart Foundation can only continue to keep funding life changing research with support from people like you. Every donation you make help funds scientific breakthroughs that can save and improve the lives of millions suffering from heart and circulatory diseases.The 2023 TCS London Marathon is set to be an event like no other. Thank you for being a part of this unforgettable journey with Team BHF.