My amazing mum, Cathy Davis, passed away last year after a four year battle with cancer. To celebrate her life and her passion for running, I'm taking on the London Marathon in support of Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, an animal rescue charity in East Sussex that we loved visiting together.

My mum is the most determined person I've ever known. Her refusal to be beaten by physical and mental challenges led to many incredible running achievements, including a 3:33 London Marathon in her late forties! Even when she was ill, she never stopped pushing herself - walking laps of the hospital after major surgeries and signing us up for trail races as a family to celebrate her recovery. I've got a long way to go to match her times, but I know how proud of me she would be for taking on this challenge, and her love and determination will push me every step of the way.

Following a serious injury last year, I'm not aiming for a particular time - the plan is just to get through it without further injury! If you want to follow my training journey, I'll be documenting the highs and lows each month on this page.

About Raystede

Raystede is a charity that gives animals a better life through rehoming, rehabilitation and sanctuary, while also providing people with the support and knowledge they need to treat animals with care and respect.

They care for up to 400 rescued animals every day, including cats, horses, dogs, rabbits, hens and exotic birds. Raystede relies on sponsorship and voluntary donations to continue looking after the animals in its care.

Visiting Raystede with my mum brought us many happy times together, especially during her illness. We loved meeting all the animals (including the goat I sponsor, Frankie) and seeing them thrive in such a caring and enriching environment. Any donations to support Raystede's work, however small, would be greatly appreciated.

Training Progress

February - April 2025: Started running again after 2 months off with a hip injury.

May 2025: Increased to 3 runs per week. Set a lifetime 5k PB of 25:09, just about beating my 10-year-old self!

June 2025: Increased to 4 runs per week. Ran the hilly Dorking 10k (my first 10k 'race') in 53:23.

July 2025: New PBs for 5k (22:51) and 10k (48:22). Discovered the joy of easy running in beautiful surroundings, but too late to stop a lurking overuse injury.

August - September 2025: Off running with a glute and/or groin strain, losing my hard-earned speed but hopefully building my strength through rehab exercises.

October 2025: Cautiously returned to running (very slowly with walking intervals). Came second to last in the Brighton RunThrough 23k trail race. Took up mountain biking to keep my cardio fitness up.

November 2025: Back to continuous running 2-3 times a week, with very little pain. Had fun exploring the trails around my new home in Lewes.

December 2025: Steadily building up my long run - now at one third of marathon distance. Started to feel my injury again slightly so reverted to easy running.

January 2026: Hit half-marathon distance (and then hit 'the wall' due to not fuelling enough)! Enjoyed some wonderfully muddy adventures in the South Downs. Now running ~30k a week.

February 2026: Transitioned to more road running to get my feet and knees used to the impact, including a 24k seaside run! Really started to feel the toll of increasing mileage on my muscles/joints so levelled out for a couple of weeks.

March 2026: ran the Endurancelife Sussex Half with Emma & Trevor. Spent a week skiing in the Alps - good cross-training and much needed recovery, although my shins took a battering from the ski boots!

April 2026 (marathon month): reached peak long run distance (30k) - can't believe how far I've come! Now time to taper before the marathon!