Dancing for Joy: My Marathon Story

Thirteen years ago I ran the Cambridge Boundary Marathon. It was before I had children, before the chaos of running a charity and the beauty of family life, and I remember feeling strong, free, and unstoppable. Running was my thing, something I was good at and a space for me to breathe and think.

But not long after this achievement I was hit with a back injury that stopped me teaching dance and I had to give up my dance school at a time when I just felt it had picked up momentum and was starting to shine, and it broke me in ways I didn’t know were possible. Around the same time, a company I worked for as a Programme Manager went through an awful period with no way out but to go insolvent and close. I was made redundant and the work literally stopped the day I was told. But I carried the heavy burden of making sure everyone else —every freelancer and participant who depended on that company was okay. I remember having conversations with funders to plead with them to continue to work with me and that I would make it work. I went out of my way to make sure others were looked after and they could still get paid or not lose their classes that they loved so much and made such a difference to thier lives.

But at the back end of it not only was I carrying an injury but then the mental load just became too much to carry and for me, behind closed doors, it was a time filled with anxiety, panic attacks, and deep sadness. My confidence disappeared. I gained weight, I lost my sense of self, and I didn’t even feel worthy of getting married. Looking back, that year still makes me ache, I adored my wedding day, but I can see now how much pain I was going through.

But yet, somehow, from that broken place… something new began to grow. With the support of friends and family, I created DNA (Dance Network Association) in late 2015 a space built from everything I’d learned about strength, compassion, and joy. I wanted to help others reconnect with themselves through dance, movement, and creativity. I wanted to lead in a way that felt feminist, nurturing, and real. I wanted to prove to myself and to others that we could rebuild, that joy could return, I could heal from injury and take a new direction, no longer teaching but leading.

Now, thirteen years after that first marathon, I’m lacing up my trainers again.

I’m running not just for me but for DNA. Over the past decade DNA has faced its own storms and struggles. There have been moments when it felt impossible to keep going, when funding was scarce, and when the world seemed to be working against us. But somehow, like me, DNA kept going. With resilience, love, and sheer determination, we stayed alive.

I’ve poured my heart into keeping this organisation standing, and now I truly believe that the next ten years are when we begin to run...

This marathon marks the end of one chapter and opens the doors to the next.

I’m running to raise money for DNA, so we can continue dancing for joy, helping people move and connect.

If you can, please support me and DNA. Every donation, every word of encouragement, helps us keep spreading the joy, the movement, and the magic of what dance can do.

Thank you for believing in me — and for believing in DNA. 💛