To celebrate my 50th birthday I decided I would tick off one of those random ‘bucket list’ items and run my first ever marathon. No mean feat considering the furthest I’ve run before is a half-marathon distance, and even then, I use the term ‘run’ loosely. I was delighted when I found out that I had secured a charity place in the 2024 London Marathon and feel very privileged to be running for Mind.

You might ask why Mind? As some will know, having suffered for most of my adult life with anxiety, at times where it has been crippling to the point I’ve been unable to leave the house to participate in ‘normal’ activities, I feel strongly about promoting the importance of mental health. I feel very fortunate to have had the support of friends and family over the years as well as access to external support which helped me to develop strategies to manage my anxiety, but I’m acutely aware not everyone has the same. According to Mind, each year 1 in 4 people experience a mental health problem, and all sponsorship raised will help them to make sure anyone with a mental health problem has somewhere to turn to for advice and support.

I won’t say it has been an easy journey and there are still times when I feel massively overwhelmed and I ‘hit my brick wall’. I’m also aware of the irony that training for the marathon brings with not only testing my physical ability but more so my mental ability too! However, one of the reasons I run is to positively support my mental health, being out in the fresh air and taking everything in along with the amazing feeling you get afterwards. I’m an accredited run leader at my local running group, one that I’ve chosen to run with because of their commitment to mental health and the benefits that running socially brings.

To support my marathon training, I’m planning to complete 5 runs over the next few months in the lead up to the marathon starting with the Guy Fawkes 10 mile run on 5 November 2023. I’m then participating in the Sheffield Round Winter 20km Trail Run on 7 January; Temple Newsam Ten run on 14 January; the Barcelona Half Marathon on 11 February; and the Grim Up North 20 mile run on 16 March 2024 in Leeds.

I want to give a special ‘shout out’ to my fellow marathoners’, Lucy and Gaynor, who will also be feeling the pain (sorry, excitement!) of completing our training and for their immense support and encouragement! And also, to my husband Paul, for putting up with my crazy running challenges and for being a running widower for the next few months!