The last time I put on some running shoes to participate in an event was in 2019. Since then, the get up and go had got up and gone….

So… why now have I suddenly rediscovered my running itch?

Back on 26 January 2024, my Mum was admitted to hospital. I remember the call vividly as Dad told me that Mum had apparently suffered a minor stroke. What was unusual however in the days that followed was that Mum didn’t show the same levels of recovery typical in stroke victims. Other options were considered, and on 5 February 2024, our worst fears were realised when Mum was diagnosed with Sporadic CJD (sCJD). Due to other complications, Mum’s condition deteriorated rapidly and just 10 days later, she passed, aged 66 years.

sCJD affects roughly 1 / 1,000,000 people every year. Mum was literally one in a million. There is no cure, nor any specific treatment for the disease - most people die within 12 months of diagnosis, with many, including my Mum, having far less time than that. Despite its rarity, there is a huge amount of funding for medical research which is ongoing to further understand the disease and possible future treatments. For the families left behind however, there is only a profound sense of loss which is where CJD Support comes in.

So why London Landmarks Half Marathon? As well as being proudly Irish, Mum loved London, having moved there aged 11: for the remaining 55 years of her life it was her home from Home. In London, Mum met and married Dad, had three children (including me at St Thomas’s Hospital - one of the landmarks), and spent her last days here. Mum also worked in London from the age of 16 until shortly before her death. During her 20’s and 30’s, Mum worked as an office cleaner across Central London: whilst at College, I worked with her in the evenings going from job to job, taking in Pall Mall, the Houses of Parliament and Nelson’s Column, en route every weekday night for the best part of 2 years on the way. It seems only fitting therefore that as I don the running shoes back on after a 5 year hiatus (and gaining 4 stone in the process!) that my journey back into running starts with the place where Mum made her home.

As I remember my mother as I pound the tarmac of this wonderful city, I would be forever grateful if you could help me raise as much as possible for CJD Support so they can continue supporting the families of those who have been left behind as a result of the cruel and brutally quick way that CJD claims its sufferers.

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