x7 Marathons, x7 Days

This one's for the mums and dads that have been, that could have been, and that will be.

On the 29th April 2025 Amelia gave birth to our little girl, baby Brennan.

At 19 weeks old Baby Brennan sadly passed away shortly after birth, due to being born premature.

Without warning, on 24th April, Amelia’s waters broke far too early. Medically this is called PPROM (Preterm Prelabour Rupture of Membranes), it refers to the rupture of the amniotic sac (or "water breaking") before labor begins and before 37 weeks of pregnancy. A common cause of preterm birth, occurring in 3% of pregnancies.

Amelia spent a week in hospital and the care she received, and we continue to receive, is incredible.

In order to lay Baby Brennan to rest, I along with my business partner and friend, William Richards, will be running baby Brennan’s ashes from Kings College Hospital in London to Corwen in North Wales (a location that is special to Amelia and I).

A gruelling distance of c200 miles, William and I aim to run 7 marathons in 7 days, (each day covering 42km (26.2 miles). The journey will start in London on the morning of 15th September 2025 with the aim of completing the challenge on the 21st September 2025 (Baby Brennan’s original due date).

Every year in the UK, thousands of people sadly experience the loss of a baby whether that be in pregnancy, or at/soon after birth. In order to give back to the incredible Kings College Hospital teams who supported us through this extremely heart shattering time we aim to raise funds to help support families who might unfortunately find themselves in a similar situation to us.

Why Corwen? In September 2024, Amelia suffered an early miscarriage. When visiting my sister and Griff for a weekend shortly afterwards, at their home in Wales, we went on a hike to the top of a hill, where we placed Tibetan Prayer Flags in memory of our first loss. This is a symbolic spot for us, and so we aim to scatter baby Brennan’s ashes close by - so they can be together.

Please find further information about the services that supported us below, these are the organisations/charities that we would like to help through your generosity:

- King’s College Maternity Bereavement Team - At Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust there are three dedicated Bereavement Midwives that provide excellence in bereavement care to help families who experience the loss of a baby.

- Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine King’s College Hospital - a leading clinical unit and research centre for the assessment and treatment of unborn babies, caring for more than 10,000 patients each year.

Thank you for your generosity.

With love,

Michael & Amelia x