On November 8th I got the call no one ever wants to receive, “she’s gone”. The world turned upside down from two tiny words…

My best friend Steph (more fondly known to me as Peggy) passed away in November 2023 and my world has not been the same since. I’ve struggled with the inconsistency of grief. I thought it was a linear journey; denial, anger, acceptance….etc. News flash for me, it’s not. 

Peggy was a force. She stood up, she spoke out, she had a voice and made herself heard. She was, and is, an inspiration. And I miss her enormously. 

Peggy openly talked about her mental health and her constant struggle with PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder- a very severe form of PMS). She had her tribe and she had her sounding board and she didn’t suffer in silence.  She had an amazing, supportive husband and family and friends close by, she was surrounded by strength and love.

To raise awareness, Steph challenged herself to a wild swim a day for 30 days and swam an ice mile, (just because!). She worked hard to break the taboo and educate us all on PMDD. She was appalled by the lack of funding, education and research for something that affects so many. 

These are Steph’s words, describing what it was like to live with it… “PMDD is like building a sand castle of good habits and positive mood then twice a month watching it get swept away leaving depression, anger and hopelessness. Basically my brain can’t cope with normal monthly fluctuations in hormones. Very slight changes in levels of oestrogen/progesterone are the difference between me feeling good and able to attack life and feeling so low and overwhelmed I no longer want to be alive. Despite it being cyclical it took me years to figure out it was all linked to ovulation and periods. The chronic lack of research into women’s health didn’t help…”.

Lack of research into women’s health continues to be a barrier to moving forward and I want to carry on Steph's legacy in raising awareness.

So, in just over 6 weeks I will be running 80 miles to try to do just this, raise awareness...

80 MILES! 

In one go.

Running through day & night.

No sleeping.

24 hours to complete! 

This is an independent challenge and adventure...

No crowds!

No medal!

No easy ‘Exit Left’! 

Just me and my mate, Stuart Franks and 80 miles of road and trail. 

The route will take us from the beach at Whitby, North Yorkshire, to Pool Bridge Farm, York. Steph loved the water and Pool Bridge Farm was her favourite place to swim; her quiet oasis when the world felt chaotic. 

To put this into perspective, I’m not a long distance runner! I ran the Leeds Marathon in May and I haven’t hit that distance since. This is a huge undertaking for me and, quite frankly, I’m terrified! 😂

PMDD is among us. It impacts the lives of our girlfriends, sisters, mothers, daughters. So let’s raise awareness and let’s get talking! 

Please follow my journey, share my story and give what you can!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I appreciate any and all the support you are able to give. You can follow my progress on Strava.