About me:

Thirteen years ago, I decided to quit smoking and get healthy. I had no idea how much that single decision would change my life, or where it would lead me.

Hooked on the running bug, I set my sights on my first marathon. But right on cue, severe groin pain derailed my training. Failed marathon #1.

A year later, I joined a training camp to do things "properly." The familiar pain returned, culminating in a brutal 25km trail run on the hottest day of the year. I was left with a severe limp that wouldn't go away. An MRI confirmed the news: a femoral neck stress fracture. Failed marathon #2.

My injuries were a complete puzzle. I wasn’t overtraining, and my diet was solid. My hormonal cycle was irregular, but doctors had always brushed it off. Thankfully, my physio knew better and pushed me to investigate.

Down the medical rabbit hole I went. After endless appointments (and lockdown delays), I finally got an answer: a benign pituitary tumour called a prolactinoma. While benign, it had been wreaking havoc on my system for years, and my hormone levels were sky-high!

Treatment brought my levels back to normal, and feeling confident, I signed up for the Manchester Marathon. But years of disrupted hormonal pathways had taken their toll. Soon enough, I suffered a third fracture, this time on the other side. Failed marathon #3.

I was crushed. Doctors told me to hang up my running shoes forever. The thought of losing the freedom, the movement, and that precious hour of headspace filled me with grief.

Refusing to give up, I reached out to Fletch, the founder of Onetrack (check them out!). Instead of telling me to quit, he said we just needed a smarter plan to give my bone healing pathways time to repair. With a bespoke plan, an incredible coach, and a lot of stubbornness, I gave it one last shot.

April 2026: I crossed the finish line of the Manchester Marathon. Sore quads, but a full heart!

Why I’m Running (and Raising Funds):

A lot of people followed my story in 2026. It even made it into Marie-Claire magazine: https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/health-fitness/first-marathon-at-43. I'd like my story to have a positive impact on people, especially female runners, but would also like some good to come out of it for a cause that is close to my heart. I was so pleased to hear that Replacing Animal Research had accepted my application to run the London Marathon on thier behalf!

If you know me, you know I love animals. Stopping to eat animals and contributing to their exploitation ten years ago was the single best decision I’ve ever made (right up there with taking up running!). Over the years, I’ve had the joy of sharing my life with everything from mice, rats, guinea pigs, and ferrets to dogs and cats, even the odd pigeon, and I’ve loved every single one of them dearly. But they were the lucky ones, and their lives could have been very different had they been born in a lab.

Matilda the ferret

I truly believe compassion is a strength, and that every life deserves protection. It breaks my heart that so many animals, each with their own unique personality and rich internal life, are still treated as commodities and subjected to unnecessary experiments every day, right on our doorstep. In the UK, mice, rats, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses and even monkeys are still used in research, even when scientifically proven laternatives exist. We can and must do better.

That’s why I am using my miles to raise money for Replacing Animal Research.

This amazing charity funds and develops effective, scientific alternatives to animal testing. With breakthroughs in in vitro research, computer modeling (in silico), and AI, we have an unprecedented chance to make inhumane animal research obsolete. They also collaborate with companies using the "Three Rs"—Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement—to raise scientific standards.

Every single pound helps. If you can spare anything to support this incredible cause, I would be eternally grateful.

Thank you so much for your support! 🐾🏃‍♀️