A year ago in October 2024, as we ambled ahead of our wives on our way back from a Sunday Roast, a conversation that turned into destiny emerged and a pact was formed...Barcelona Marathon 2026!

Read on to hear about why now and why Fertility Network UK....

Ajay - Barcelona Marathon - What Am I Thinking?!

Well here we are again, 12 years on from putting my body on the line to do London Marathon, I'm back again to torture myself, having sworn off it all last time! This time we head overseas to Barcelona on 15 March 2026!

So why now? Many of you know that me and Priya had a lot of challenge having our beautiful children Aman and Aarav. Our fertility journey was painful and had many ups and downs, but we were blessed and lucky to succeed BUT it was a hell of a lonely journey that could easily have broken us. Everyone always sees the pic above and smiles but believe me to get to that resulted in a lot of tears and emotion!

Fertility Network UK are the leading UK charity supporting couples going through fertility issues, providing lots of information, guidance and support from the moment you identify an issue through to support for couples who have been unsuccessful. In the hardest of times they provide the support needed and have an amazing network of support groups. It wasn't something we used, but looking back we recognise how much this support would have helped us in our journey. We've been open book about our journey so the taboo around fertility can be broken down and this is what Fertility Network UK is all about, which is why we engage with them as volunteers / ambassadors.

So why a marathon? I needed to set myself the hardest challenge to first lose weight (currently 34kg down in a 12 months and keeping it off) and then tackle my nemesis, running! The pain of running a marathon can't compare to the pain of going through fertility journeys, including the physical pain Priya and other women go through during the IVF cycles. Our fertility challenge couldn't break us, so running a marathon for such an amazing cause won't break me! This one is for us, our children and in support of all those couples on that journey, some of whom are closest to us and have suffered incredible pain on their own journeys with IVF.

Please donate what you can because every donation will make a difference in helping the charity to support couples across the country.

"Pain is merely weakness leaving the body!"

Sachin - How did I get roped into this?!

I hated running but started jogging to get fit almost 15 years ago. What I found out was, running is medicine for the mind, body and soul.

The Barcelona Marathon presents an interesting challenge around the city streets and will be my first event on foreign soil. As an avid traveller the opportunity to run the streets of Barcelona certainly seemed more appealing that the only other marathon I have done in Brighton (no offence intended!)

As for Fertility Network UK, the cause and work they do hold importance due to the many number of people and couples who struggle with the often unspoken lows and rollercoaster journey they go through to start a family.

As we pound the streets of Barcelona we will be thankful for every donation and thinking of every family that has gone through the fertility journey!