It is 10 years since Dad died of skin cancer. The care and support provided by Princess Alice Hospice during his illness was second to none, eased a challenging time for us all, and left us with positive memories despite the sadness.

I have been quite vocal about my enjoyment of endurance sport over the years (regretting that now!), which was sparked by my first London Marathon in 2016 for the Hospice. This year, I plan to run 10 marathons in 10 months, for the 10 year anniversary since Dad's death, for £10,000.

10 in 10 for 10

Given it is already well into 2024 this doesn't leave a huge amount of time when work and social plans are factored in. One of which will be my own route (see Strava). I plan to finish on a high (or physical low!) with two marathons in two days in November in my home town of Staines.

21st April - London Marathon - completed! 3:52

Summary: paced my best friend to a huge PB, absolute belter of a day! 10/10. Will be hard to beat!

5th May - Newcastle-Gateshead Marathon - completed! 3:31

Summary: used it as a bit of a training exercise, ran it in a series of intervals to break it down. Legs felt ok surprisingly given only a short interval.

26th May - Edinburgh Marathon Festival - completed! 3:30

Summary: A TOTAL WASHOUT. Heavy rain all day. Fatigue set in hard at 10k, it’s a miracle I finished it, far from the PB dream.

30th June - Solway Coast Marathon - completed! 3:31

Summary: Beautiful scenic and flat course. Saw more cows than I did people! Took it quite chilled, headphones in and got it done. Mind and body handled this far better than the Edinburgh run!

6th July - Edinburgh Sunset Running Festival Marathon - completed! 3:49

Summary: 5pm start time, 4 seasons in a day, 3rd woman overall, 2nd marathon in a week. This was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Legs were screaming.

3rd August - Strava Run (my own route) - completed! 3:44

Summary: I decided to do one run of my own; there was no official event I could squeeze in around… life! This was no frills, no crowd, no aid stations. Just me, my trainers and a whole load of grit and determination to keep going. Lovely route around the River Tyne.

15th Sept - Richmond Run Festival, London - completed! 3:35

Summary: A gorgeous, temperate weather day for running and a familiar river trail- sat back and enjoyed it. Several friend and family appearances along the way with a post-run pub get together (just the lime and sodas for me though!) - all a motivational boost. Finishing this one, it really feels like I’m on the home run now… (excuse the pun…)

20th Oct - Amsterdam Marathon - completed! 3:44

Summary: 26.2 miles wiped the floor with me here... Fatigue like never before, both mentally and physically, set in hard very early on. I can't comment much on the scenery because I was so focused on just putting one foot in front of the other! Completing a marathon never felt so tough. But crossing a finish line never felt so good.

15th Nov - Staines, Saturn Running 2 in 2 days

16th Nov - Staines, Saturn Running 2 in 2 days

Please give what you can for this cause which remains very close to my heart and will allow the hospice to continue to support others. If anyone would like to join me on a run, all are welcome!