My Story

On Sunday 26 April 2026, I’ll be lacing up my trainers and taking on the 26.2 miles (42.2km) of the London Marathon.

You know I love a sporting challenge, but this is potentially my toughest one so far. Because I’m really not a runner. I eat way too much.

So why am I doing it?

Well, firstly, and most importantly, I’m raising money for a really small charity called the PBC Foundation.

You’ve probably never heard of PBC, but it’s a chronic, progressive autoimmune liver disease that my mum lives with. You also probably wouldn’t know mum is ill because she’s a ‘trooper’. However, as a result of PBC, she suffers from chronic fatigue, is often in pain and the smallest of knocks often means she cracks a rib.

The cause of PBC is unknown, it’s incurable, and advanced stages often lead to liver failure and osteoporosis.

With up to 25,000 people in the UK having been diagnosed with this illness, the PBC Foundation doesn’t receive a lot of external funding.  So any money I make as a result of undertaking this rather crazy feat will help fund important services for people living with PBC, as well as fund more research into improved treatments.

But secondly, I really want to take part in one of the most iconic sporting events in the world. When I eventually cross the finish line, not only will I have ticked off this bucket list event, but I will also be able to call myself a “London Classics” medal holder.

In order to claim this prize, you have to ride the London 100, swim 2k in The Serpentine and run the London Marathon. Only around 4,000 people can say they’ve achieved this.

As you can imagine, Heather really can’t wait for me to clutter the house with a new medal.

Thanks for reading (and donating!)