Naomi's Story

I am very lucky to be running the London Marathon for the second time. The first time around was an incredible experience and now that I get to do it again, I wanted to fundraise for Mind.

I started running after becoming a social worker and found it was the best way I could clear my mind on difficult days and think more clearly. It’s not always easy getting my trainers on a getting out of my head but it’s always a good idea. I am not a natural runner! I must have done couch to 5k about 8 times. But I kept coming back to it because it was like meditation you don’t have to stay still or quiet for. And being still and quiet didn’t feel great when I was stressed.

Being able to run when I want to and when I need to isn’t something I take for granted. My big brother, Scott, lived with a huge amount of pain from back injuries in his adult life. In 2019, we were devastated to lose Scott after he died by suicide. He endured physical and mental pain for a long time until he couldn’t any more.

Even while Scott was struggling he was still up for daft games, singing his heart out and being the last one dancing. He didn’t stop cheering on stuff we could do that he couldn’t or that would hurt him too much. He looked on the bright side a lot of the time and brought a lot of sunshine to a lot of people.

Losing Scott made me feel angry and lost for a long time. I was angry with myself, that all of us left hadn’t stopped him and angry with Scott and couldn’t do anything about that. A lot of things felt useless and exhausting for a while and running was something that helped.

As a social worker, I’ve worked alongside Mind and have seen the invaluable support they have been able to provide when people need them. So, I’m running for Scott, for everyone Mind supports and for my own sanity! I’d love to finish in less than 5 hours this time but mainly I’d love to finish in one piece. If you’re able to donate, we would be massively grateful and your money would be going to a wonderful cause :)

Reece's Story

I started running back in 2017 where I would be out of breath running anymore than five minutes. I started running as a way of keeping fit, however running quickly became more than just exercise for me. It became a space to clear my head, manage stress and look after my mental health as well as my physical health.

The London Marathon 2026 with be my third marathon, and ever since I started running it has been a dream of mine to take part. I watch the coverage on TV each year and wish that I was one of the thousands of runners taking part.

I am looking to achieve a personal goal of beating my current personal best time of 4 hours and 7 minutes, and may be even break the 4 hour mark. Every mile I run I will be reminded of those early days of me running where every kilometre felt impossible.

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