The day I ran the London Marathon

My fundraising journey

I held events, did raffles and harangued friends and family to raise as much money as I could for this cause so close to our hearts. Summer turned to winter and along the way I connected with three other oncology Mums who were also running the April 2020 marathon. We soon became the Marathon Mums.

In February 2020 we attended a Children with Cancer UK Marathon Pre-Meet in Greenwich where we had the opportunity to meet other runners and listen to words of advice from experts. The excitement was building – we were so determined to do this for our kids, other families who had also heard those words ‘your child has cancer’ and those who had yet to be diagnosed. This was our story.

The marathon date was set

And then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. On 13 March 2020, the London Marathon was postponed. That was it.

Fast forward two years and here we are – I finally got to run my marathon on 2 October 2022 and what a day it was.

As the day got closer and closer the Children with Cancer UK running community was at its best. The virtual pre-meets, the connections on social media, the consistent communication from the charity meant that I was fully prepared and informed of how best to manage my expectations, the day and the time after.

I knew I could do it

I knew it was going to be tough. I knew it was going to be emotional.

And I did.

I ran and ran and ran.
I smiled, I laughed, I cried.
I danced, I waved , I hugged. I finished.
I did it. 26.2 miles.
Every step of the way for Children with Cancer UK.
Every step of the way for children like Felix.