I am completing the World Major Marathons for Borne

On March 2nd 2025 I will be running the Tokyo Marathon, proudly wearing a Borne T-shirt. This marathon and this charity mean so much to me personally. Ten years ago I watched my best friend Ellie Gibson go through the hardest moment of her life when she gave birth to her son Joe, 9 weeks prematurely. He was so small and so very poorly, it was so worrying and scary what they all went through as a family at the time. They were so lucky to have brilliant doctors and nurses at Kings hospital, and baby Joe pulled through and is now an utterly adorable ten year old. He has so much energy and such an amazing sense of humour - he definitely gets this from his mum! But, I know this isn't always the story that premature babies and mums have and, I want to be able to help fund research and development in premature birth to help mothers, babies and families just like Ellie's, and help prevent this in the future.

The Tokyo marathon is an incredibly important run for me. It will be my 6th and final World Major Marathon. When I cross the finishing line, this will be a very emotional and significant moment for me. 5 years ago almost to the day of this marathon, my life was thrown upside down and my marriage collapsed. I became a very broken woman, and my life felt shattered. The two things that brought me back together was the love and strength of my friendship with Ellie and discovering I could run! Since rebuilding my life again, I have found running as my greatest therapy and it has taken me around the world. I could not have done these runs without the support of friends and family, and I wanted to give back to the friend who held me in my darkest time. Serendipitously, on March 2nd 2020, Ellie was in Tokyo on holiday, when my world fell apart, so it feels strangely cathartic I will be there to complete something so meaningful and beyond anything I ever felt possible.

So I am running for Borne, and for Ellie and Joe and all the mums and babies that this amazing charity supports today and in the future.

Thank you so much for your support,

Helen