I hate running. I hate it. I am not a natural runner. I am a person who despises being hot and sweaty, and I have two left feet and the bendiest, most unstable ankles known to mankind. Safe to say, I am not doing this for any form of pleasure! The thought of running 13 miles on a hot morning in May fills me with dread.

Will I fall? Most likely.

Will I crawl over that finish line, dragging myself by my fingernails? Probably.

Will I collapse into a fit of tears my 3 year old would be proud of? Sounds about right.

So, why am I doing it?

I have wanted to do something to honour Freddie, Aimee and Mark since the day we lost him. We have had many beautiful walking days that I have loved every minute of. We have discussed the National Three Peaks, ladies lunches and other fabulous events. All of which I would love. So it couldn’t be them. It had to be something that would push me, challenge me, and ultimately make me work my absolute arse off to achieve it, to do something worthy of our boy, and to make him proud. It had to be something I could give my blood, sweat, tears, time and dedication to. So when the opportunity presented itself to join my long suffering PT in doing this half marathon, I knew it had to be it.

So, I have been out on training runs. I’ve invested in runners trainers, perfect for my wonky gait. I’ve bought myself a hydration vest so I have zero excuses to be thirsty and hungry. I have been ice bathing my tired legs, and doing training runs at 6am.

When it hurts, I think of Freddie.

When I don’t want to do it, I think of Aimee and Mark, and the things they don’t want to do every day, but have zero choice.

Freddie was the most beautiful little boy, a perfect mix of my beautiful little sister, and her lovely husband. He had Aimee’s cheeky, joyful nature, and Mark’s calmness. He was determined, desperate to walk months before he turned 1. He was happy, always smiling. He had his whole life ahead of him, and what a life it would have been. I was, and am, so proud to be his auntie.

Aimee and Mark will do incredible things with Freddie’s Sunshine, and I am honoured to play a small role in it. So please, donate anything you can, and if you can’t, say his name instead. Leave a Freddie Bear in a beautiful place, share the Instagram page. We are in the early stages of getting the charity off the ground, and in time we hope to help many people who sadly find themselves in the same horrible situation that our family do. We can only do that with funds and with exposure. So please do what you can for our boy.

Thankyou so much

🧸 ☀️