Story
Hi, so here I am taking on the biggest challenge of running the London Marathon 2026! After five years of unsuccessful ballot applications I received an email from St Wilfrids hospice a few weeks ago that I’d been chosen as one of their four runners for the London Marathon 2026!
As you may already be aware, myself and Clare lost our dear mum last February. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years prior and it had unfortunately spread to other parts of her body. She had undergone a lot of treatment and was doing well until late 2023 when her health deteriorated and she started to really struggle with day-to-day tasks. This is when our lives turned upside down. Initial scans had found legions throughout her brain and sadly there was nothing that could be done apart from make her remaining time here most comfortable and peaceful. That’s when St Wilfrids hospice stepped in and we could not be more thankful.
As soon as we got there, the whole family were made to feel welcome and so at home. There was such an amazing level of care and everything was explained with true empathy and kindness. So many of the staff are volunteers and they become the backbone of your strength for visiting your loved ones. They are the welcoming faces, tea makers, listening ear, guidance and compassionate hero’s you need in the most difficult time of your lives.
It costs £26,000 per day to run St Wilfrids hospice which is approximately £10 million per year and to be able to raise money for such a worthy charity is an absolute honour.
I’m sure most of you reading this either have had a family member or know someone who has been helped by st wilfrids over the years and how much work they do to care for people who are at the end of their life. It’s such an amazing charity and will always be a charity close to my family and I.
Now, for those of you who have known me for a while or most of my life, it may still surprise you that I’m even attempting this. I got into running a few years ago through some struggles of my own and it’s become such a massive part of my life and self-care.
Running, for me it isn’t just exercise; it’s for regulating my mental health, meditation, my thinking time, and I absolutely love it! 20 years ago, I remember not being able to run 400m around the school track and now I’m taking on a marathon. Which just shows how far I’ve come.
So I’d very grateful if you could spare any of your hard earned cash on supporting me in my challenge for such a great charity.
Thank you so much for reading and if you want to how my training is going here’s a link to my Strava page