Heading into 2025, I knew I wanted to dedicate a significant amount of time to finding something that would help me feel more fulfilled. I’d spent a lot of time over the last few years feeling sorry for myself, and it had gotten to the point where I wanted things to change, but I wasn't sure how. Coming out of University, I had lost my sense of life direction, and as a result, I was hitting my mid-20s and didn’t know where I wanted to be. I was feeling stagnant and truthfully, I was struggling to look forward. I’m really proud of lots of the work I’ve done so far in my career, but at the time, I couldn’t see past the idea that maybe that was my complete story.

I started running more regularly towards the end of 2024, and I definitely didn’t expect it to have the eventual impact it did. I signed up for a 10k race as a vague attempt to try to push myself and did not do the appropriate training for it. I ended up completing the race in about 1 hour and 7 minutes, and it felt so underwhelming at the finish line that I am genuinely surprised I kept going afterwards. It wasn’t until I went to my first parkrun in the new year that my love for running and the positive impact it had on the rest of my life really began to click into place.

For those that don’t know, parkrun is a collection of 5km events for runners, walkers, and volunteers that takes place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents. Importantly, it’s free to attend, meaning it’s incredibly accessible for anyone interested in taking part in whatever capacity they may choose. Like many, I’ve fallen in love with both the community element of Parkrun and also the discipline (aka waking up early to do it every weekend!). There are already lots of people out there who have found a safe space in attending, and it’s really inspirational to witness on a weekly basis, whether that’s from attending in person or through seeing people talk about their experiences online!

Truthfully, I didn’t really have any aspirations to run a Marathon any time soon, but when I saw that parkrun Global was looking for people to help fundraise for them, I knew immediately that it was something I would be interested in if the opportunity arose, and lucky for me, it did. Running has really helped me to feel like I have a sense of direction again, and parkrun has been a really important part of that. That’s why I am immensely honoured and excited to be picked to be one of the first runners for parkrun at the London Marathon in April.

My fundraising target is £3,000 and any donations towards that would be greatly appreciated, no matter the amount. I understand that times are incredibly difficult at the moment for many, and that is another reason why I think it’s incredible that parkrun is so devoted to providing a free, inclusive event for all. Paul Sinton-Hewitt, the founder of parkrun, talks about parkrun involving taking one small step, and I hope that through this process, I can help the charity take more steps into helping more people on their journeys for years to come.

It’s going to be uncomfortable, it’s going to be difficult, but I feel confident the journey to get to that finish line is going to be absolutely life-changing.

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