Update: Thank you so so much for all your generous donations! We raised over £2440 for BEAT. How incredible 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

The Half was lots of fun but so much harder than anticipated in the heat, and with only having done one 15k run ever before I really did struggle in that last mile. I was hoping for a 2 hour finish but crossed the finish line a few minutes after which I was a pretty disappointed with. However Strava tells me I finished 2hr on the dot so let’s go with that! Regardless I’m happy to have got there in the end with the help of all those water sprays and my best friends cheering me on! Now on the the next xx

In May, I'll be taking on the challenge of running the Hackney Half Marathon in support of BEAT – an incredible charity that aims to help individuals struggling with eating disorders as well as their family and friends.

If you'd have told me 10 years ago that I'd one day be running a half marathon (!!), I wouldn't have believed you. The reason being, I genuinely couldn't envision a fit & healthy future version of myself. I know first-hand the torment experienced by those living with an eating disorder because I myself battled with anorexia for over six years. Anorexia took my mind entirely, and within a matter of months my body too. It’s a vicious and all-consuming illness that’s often vastly misunderstood and mistaken for just a silly quest to be thin. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric illnesses, from medical complications associated with the illness as well as from suicide. Research shows 46% of (treated) anorexia patients will fully recover, with 33% improving and the remaining 20% ill for the rest of their lives.

Beat are available 365 days a year via their national helpline to guide anyone who's struggling towards taking the first steps towards recovery, they are also a great support network for loved ones trying to care for someone with an eating disorder.

Four years post recovery, I can no longer relate to the person I was whilst unwell. So many beautiful memories, laughter and even just the everyday mundane have erased the pain of all those years (sounds dramatic but those who know, know). I feel so lucky to be living the life I live now, to be there for my beautiful family who kept me afloat on the most difficult of days and to be a good friend to the ones who stood by me even when I couldn’t be there for them.

I’m a very new runner & I'm terrified – but lets do this!!!

I know its tough out there now, so even the smallest of donations mean the absolute world x