Ten years ago, I lost my best friend.

On 26th February 2016, Chris took his own life and still to this day its never been easy to say that, and it never will. Chris was the person who made you feel seen without trying, who lifted rooms just by being in them. And yet, behind all of that, he was carrying things none of us fully understood. Losing him didn’t just hurt. It rearranged everything.

Since that day, I’ve run. Not to escape it, but to stay with it. To carry him forward. To make sure his name, his life, and the conversations we didn’t have enough of didn’t disappear with him. This year my original goal was to run London Marathon

But the story didn't stop there.

In September 2026, I’ll take on WhyWeRun. Five days. Two hundred and fifty kilometres. Long, exposed miles along the Welsh coastline. Not as a race, not for a time, but as a continuation of the same promise I made ten years ago. To turn pain into something useful. To keep showing up and to stand alongside people who are struggling, even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it hurts.

Day 1 45km

Day 2 56km

Day 3 60km

Day 4 56km

Day 5 35km

WhyWeRun isn’t just an endurance challenge. It’s a movement built on connection, vulnerability, and shared purpose, and it raises funds for bigmoose, a charity born from loss, friendship, and love. Bigmoose exists because of Gary “Moose” Cloonan, a man remembered not just for his strength, but for his kindness, his quiet care for others, and the way he showed up for people. His legacy lives on through mental health support that meets people where they are, without judgement, without barriers.

That matters deeply to me.

Because I know what happens when people feel alone. I’ve seen how silent battles can become devastating endings, and I’ve also seen how the right support, at the right moment, can change everything. Bigmoose does that work every day. They keep doors open, conversations going, and hope alive for people who might otherwise feel they’ve run out of options.

This challenge comes after the marathon, but it’s part of the same journey. Ten years on from losing Chris, this isn’t about looking back. It’s about standing firmly in the present and saying we can do better.

For our mates.

For our families.

For the people who don’t yet know how to ask for help.

I’m asking you to stand with me.

If you can donate, whether it’s £5 or £50, you’re helping someone feel less alone. You’re helping keep support available when it’s needed most and if you’re a business, there are opportunities to sponsor this journey, not for logos or noise, but to visibly stand for something that matters.

I’ll run every mile of WhyWeRun with Chris in my heart. With Gary’s legacy in mind and with a quiet determination to make sure fewer people feel they have to face their darkest moments on their own.

Ten years ago, I lost my best friend.

I’m still running and I’m not stopping.

Never quit. Never fail. Never scared.