Five years ago, I ran my 10th marathon — and what I believed would be my last.

At that point, I had completely fallen out of love with running. In truth, I had fallen out of love with most things. I’m not entirely sure how I got round the 26.2 miles in Manchester, but I did. I remember very little of it, largely because I was on a high dose of antidepressants at the time.

Life felt very different then. I was struggling with my mental health, as so many people do. What began as physical health issues slowly spiralled, and I reached a point where I no longer felt I had any real purpose. What made it harder was the belief that I shouldn’t feel this way. From the outside, my life probably looked fine — even good — but depression doesn’t work like that. Reconciling how I felt internally with how things appeared externally was exhausting.

Fast forward five years. After a great deal of work on myself, and learning how to live with depression rather than fight it, I’m in a much better place. I’m still on a low dose of medication, I recognise when my mood is dipping, and I know what steps I need to take. Funnily enough, a run almost always helps.

So when I decided to run another marathon, I had two non-negotiables.

First, it had to be a World Major.

Second, if I was running for charity — and a ballot place felt unlikely — it had to be a mental health charity.

That’s why I’m incredibly proud to be running for The Mental Health Foundation. This cause means a great deal to me, and if sharing my story or raising funds helps even one person feel less alone, then every mile will be worth it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and for your support.

Becs x