DEFERRED UNTIL MONDAY 20th APRIL 2026

On Monday 21st April I will be running the Boston Marathon! I will be one of around 30,000 runners, running point to point starting in Hopkinton and finishing on Boylston Street in Boston.

This will be a very, very special marathon for me. Boston is the world’s oldest annual marathon (dating back to 1897) and is considered as one of the world’s most prestigious road racing events. The race was inspired by the 1896 Summer Olympics marathon in Athens, Greece. Around 500,000 spectators line the marathon's course each year --that's 80 percent of Boston’s total population!

It is my 10th marathon but more importantly my 6th Abbott World Marathon Major – and I will not only be collecting my Boston marathon medal, but also my 6th Star Medal. This has been an 8 year journey in the making, one I started in 2017 with London.

The Abbott World Marathon Majors is a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world – London, New York, Berlin, Chicago, Tokyo and Boston.

I have previously raised funds running marathons for my friend’s small, but perfectly formed charity Usher Kids UK*, and Boston will be no exception. I am also aiming to raise awareness of this very rare condition and we have been so grateful for your support over the years.

*What is Usher Syndrome?

It is a rare genetic condition, affecting 2,000 children and young people in the UK. Children with Usher syndrome are born deaf, and then find out that they will gradually lose their vision due to an eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). RP initially causes night-blindness and then a progressive loss of peripheral vision beginning in childhood, worsening in the teenage years and leading many adults with Usher syndrome to lose their vision completely. For anyone to find out they are losing their vision would be tough, but for a deaf person, this is particularly challenging, as they rely on their sight so much more than hearing people. Usher syndrome is the leading genetic cause of deaf-blindness, but there is currently no cure.

In previous years I have fundraised to help host an all-ages family social day in September for the whole UK Usher community to come together. Families who have recently received a diagnosis will be welcomed alongside those who have lived with Usher syndrome for many years. The power and positive impact of connecting families is hard to measure – knowing that you are not alone, and witnessing that there are 100s of different ways to enjoy life with Usher syndrome is an experience which every young person and their family should have access to. At their most recent event, a Dad of two newly diagnosed children stood in the queue to enter, in tears – afterwards he said that he was overwhelmed by relief, knowing that for the first time since diagnosis he and his family would be surrounded by people who understood what they were going through, and would be able to help them. Children have told us our events are the highlight of their year, as they get to be with kids who are ‘just like them’.

Usher Kids UK now puts on 3 in-person events every year to make sure every family can access these life-changing connections, they offer virtual sessions every month for parents, and create information resources and train approximately 800 professionals every year. They know that creating this network of support helps to empower the next generation, so that they can thrive wherever they are in their journey with Usher syndrome, and feel confident about the path ahead.

Despite being the only dedicated source of support for children and families, and being referred to by clinicians in all leading hospitals, they receive no regular funding. The tiny team of 2 part-time staff and volunteers fundraise and apply for grants to enable them to continue to offer this lifeline of support. They have raised 50% of the money needed for this year’s events, but they need more funds to help them reach their total.

This is a cause close to my heart and I would like to raise as much money as possible to help Usher Kids UK.

My target is to raise £2,000. So here is where I need your help…..

It would be amazing if you would sponsor me – the money raised will all go towards the Usher Kids UK events

Anything you can give, big or small, will make a huge difference to the children and families affected by this condition.

For more information about Usher Kids UK go to www.usherkidsuk.com

Thanks so much for your support – I will be posting some more information about Usher Syndrome in the weeks leading up to the marathon.

Roll on 21st April …………