The Challenge

This year, as we count down to when Luke would turn seven, I wanted push myself a little further out of my comfort (and time!) zone and so from late January to early April I will complete three half marathons in three months in three different countries:

Seville

Las Vegas (!)

London

Seville is an old favourite - the home of my first ever half marathon and with 2025 its 30th anniversary, a special one for all participants.

London Landmarks in April was the first half marathon I signed up for - and my first charity HM. I did it for SANDS in 2022 and this year I am also proud to be running for this incredible charity under one of their charity spaces.

Finally, Las Vegas in February. What can I say? After celebrating my 40th there last year, the idea of running along the Strip - fuelled by hydration gels rather than margaritas - was too tempting to turn down! The phrase 'go big or go home' is dangerous at the best of times, but particularly when it relates to Vegas..! But I figured for Luke's 7th birthday, home of the 777s was an apt place to head to try to raise as much money as possible in his honour. And if loving and losing Luke has taught me anything, it's to go out there and grab opportunities while you can - especially the ones which seem completely and utterly outrageous.

Our Story

For anyone who doesn't know our story, our precious son Luke was stillborn in June 2018, the day before his due date. He was perfectly healthy but had a true knot in his umbilical cord which sadly led to his death in my 40th week of pregnancy.

Luke is so loved. He is, and forever will remain, part of our family - our only son, the girls' only and beloved brother. He lives on in all of us: in our hearts, in our actions and in the myriad ways we try to honour him.

The Charities

Fundraising for him is one of the ways I choose to keep Luke's memory alive. This year I am raising funds for two very important charities and so have had to set this page up as a 'Teams' page.

One charity is SANDS, and my LLHM is dedicated to them. I am proud to be running my second London Landmarks as part of #TeamSands. SANDS help families touched by stillbirth and neonatal death in so many ways: information that is compassionate but forthright and easy to find and digest even in your darkest hour; support that is caring, tailored and makes you feel a little less alone; and research to try to reduce the number of families facing this type of tragedy.

The second charity is The Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation, a small but mighty charity set up in memory of one amazing family's incredibly precious daughter. Ben and Gaynor work tirelessly to fundraise, raise awareness of stillbirth, and offer support to those affected my the death of a baby - especially fathers. It is an honour to know these inspirational parents and to raise funds for this very special cause.

Which Charity to Choose?

Please feel free to donate to whichever charity speaks most to you. I will ensure the minimum fundraising amount is raised for SANDS no matter what happens. They are both wonderful causes and will each benefit enormously from every penny.

Thank you so much for reading this far. I appreciate each any every donation and kind word - we all do.

All our love,

Kat, Neil, Lara and Rosie xxxxx