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Last year, I decided I wanted to do something unforgettable for my 50th birthday in February 2026 — something I’d talked about for years. So once again, I entered the London Marathon ballot… and once again (after 12 years of trying!) I was unsuccessful. I even tried a charity place, but no luck either. I then tried the London Landmarks Half, done it twice before and enjoyed it but no luck on ballot or charity place.

So I resigned myself to Plan B — with absolutely no idea what Plan B would be, but thinking I’d come up with something — until a couple of weeks ago…My lovely sister-in-law Amy texted asking if I fancied doing the Bedford 10-mile. I initially said no… then changed my mind two minutes later and signed up. A week later she messaged again and said, “This sounds good, I’ve not done it before, should be fun…” I thought Pilates…but no…the Cambridge Half Marathon!! My thought was simple: if I can run 10 miles, I can run 13, so I signed up!

On Sunday, we successfully ran the Bedford 10-mile in 1 hour 29 minutes. At the finish line, Amy was approached by the event organisers as she was wearing her Alzheimer’s Research top. This led to a conversation about her journey — caring for her mum through many years of this cruel disease, and later discovering that after losing her dad, he had onset dementia!

They said Amy would make a perfect candidate to run a marathon and asked if she’d like a place in a Marathon, London places were gone but they offered Paris!!!

Fast forward 48 hours — and we somehow have officially confirmed two places.😬😬😬

So on 8 March we will be running the Cambridge Half Marathon, and on 12 April Amy and I will be taking on the Paris Marathon, raising money for a charity that means so much to us as a family. Having lost my in-laws and grandparents to Alzheimer’s, I want to do something — however small — to help find a cure.

I am scared. Truly petrified. This will be one of the biggest challenges of my life so far, but it’s something I’ve spoken about doing for years — and as I’m turning 50 next month, it will be something I will never forget and a way to mark a new decade doing something I’ll always be proud of.

Oh and just to add, we also entered the ballot for London parks half! So I’ve gone from casually running 5k here and there to potentially running 2 half marathons and 1 marathon in the same yr! 😭😬

So i am now reaching out to my beautiful family and friends to ask If anyone could spare a pound or two to help get me around the 26-mile course, it would give me the encouragement I need to get round — no matter how much it hurts. I would be eternally grateful.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting us xxxx 🧡🧡🧡