I'm running for research!

I'm taking on the Cardiff Half Marathon for Cardiff University’s cancer research in October 2025 to support Cardiff University's neuroscience and mental health, and cancer research. I'm supporting the next generation of researchers, to help accelerate life-changing discoveries to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for people living with a wide range of conditions.

— and believe me, this is a big challenge for me.

I’m not a runner. At school, the 1500m meant walking most of it with a friend and only jogging past the teachers. Cross-country? That involved waiting under a bridge until the keen runners came back, then tagging along at the back for the final stretch.

A few years ago, I became a reluctant, fair-weather jogger — the kind who could maybe outrun you if you were going at a slow-to-moderate pace and only if the distance was under 5K!

In 2023, I pushed myself to run a 10K to support my daughter doing the London Marathon. Since then, I’ve finished a few more (as long as the route is fun and flat!). Now, I'm stepping far outside my comfort zone to take on a half marathon — and I’m doing it for something that really matters.

I’ve seen the impact of cancer on family and friends — from prostate and bowel to spinal and brain cancer — and the toll it takes on loved ones, especially children watching a parent endure treatment and side effects. It’s heartbreaking.

Cancer researchers at Cardiff University are improving outcomes for people living with some of the most common cancers such as breast, prostate and bowel, as well as those that are rarer or hard to treat, and I want to help support that work. If I’m going to do something this hard, I want it to be for a cause that’s truly worth it.

Thank you so much for your support — it means everything.