Running for Nick – A 36km Journey of Love, Loss, and Hope

On Saturday, 13th September, I’ll be running 36km in memory of my beloved husband, Nick, who lost his battle with depression and died by suicide on 11th July 2023.

Each year, around 36,000 people in the UK are directly bereaved by suicide. In 2023 alone, 6,069 lives were lost to suicide in England and Wales — and Nick was one of them.

In honour of him, and to mark World Suicide Prevention Day (10th September), I’ve taken on the 36km challenge in support of Suicide & Co, a UK-based charity offering support to those left behind after suicide.

I’ll be running this distance in my hometown of Stellenbosch, South Africa — the place I grew up, and the only place that felt safe to return to after Nick’s passing.

In the UK, suicide and mental health are more openly spoken about and supported. Here in South Africa, there is still so much stigma and silence around these topics. I want to help change that.

I’m raising our two beautiful daughters, surrounded by the love of an incredible community. It's been two years since we lost Nick, and I still have a very long journey with the girls. This 36km is just one step in a much longer journey we are walking together.

I invite you — my friends and family — to join me. Whether by donating to my fundraiser or by running alongside me, your support means everything. This run is about more than distance — it’s about breaking the silence, creating awareness, and normalising conversations around suicide and mental health. It's about helping Suicide & Co continue their vital work supporting families like ours.

This is also a journey of healing. I want to tell people to have faith, and you can and you will overcome. I want to be in the beautiful mountains, my safe place, and remember my beautiful husband. I want to feel the challenge of 36km in my body and spirit, and show myself that we can endure, we can overcome.

This is for you, Nicholas.