My Story

London Marathon 2026 

When I was 18, running the London Marathon went straight onto my bucket list: big dream, filed away for “one day”.

Last year, when we didn’t get ballot places, my friend was genuinely devastated. I was…convincingly devastated...convincing enough that she signed us both up for the Brighton Marathon instead. Brighton was hard. So hard! By the time I finished, I was very firmly a “one and done” marathon runner.

And then Cherry Lodge Cancer Care offered me a charity place for the London Marathon 2026.

How could I say no? Eighteen-year-old me would never have forgiven forty-one-year-old me.

Having already completed one marathon, this one feels different. Last time, I didn’t know if I could do it. This time, knowing that I can somehow feels like more pressure, all from myself! I’m also aiming to finish in under five hours, trying to shave a whole 30 minutes off my previous time. Why? Honestly…because running for 5hours 30minutes feels like too long a time to be running for!!

I’m incredibly proud to be running for Cherry Lodge Cancer Care, an independent charity that supports people living with cancer, as well as their carers, families and friends. They provide free, specialist cancer information, emotional support and complementary therapies, working alongside NHS clinical care across Barnet, North London and South Hertfordshire.

Cherry Lodge’s support goes far beyond medical treatment, helping people cope with the emotional, physical and practical impact of a cancer diagnosis, often at the moments when they feel most overwhelmed. They also offer outreach and befriending services, ensuring support reaches people who might otherwise struggle to access it.

This feels like the perfect charity for me to support, as it’s one our school community already champions - through fundraising efforts such as the choir singing Christmas songs in the Spires each year - a lovely reminder of how deeply rooted Cherry Lodge is in our local community.

Crucially, Cherry Lodge relies almost entirely on voluntary donations to keep these services free. With NHS and local authority funding cuts and rising demand for cancer support, charities like Cherry Lodge fill a vital gap that simply wouldn’t exist without public generosity.

Cherry Lodge has helped a number of my friends, colleagues and families in our community and I couldn’t think of a better reason to lace up my trainers again, or a better charity to push me through the nerves, the training...and those long runs.

Thank you so much for any support you’re able to give - every donation truly makes a difference.