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UPDATE

As a result of complications with surgeries I'm March and April of this year we had to accept that I would be foolish to attempt a marathon this year. Even if I managed it, it would be at the expense of my health and both our sanity. It would also be contrary to medical advice.

I am however delighted to say that Against Breast Cancer have been good enough to defer our entries to next year. So, we will continue our fundraising and slowly train for Amsterdam 2025.

Well I did not think that I would ever run a marathon again after raising over £3,300 for Against Breast Cancer in 2022. I chose to do that because over the years I have had many friends and family members diagnosed with breast cancer and could think of no better charity to raise money for.

On the 20th October of this year I was diagnosed with breast cancer. To say it was a shock is an understatement. I have had numerous mammograms, biopsies and now surgery. I am waiting to start radiotherapy and potentially chemotherapy. I have certainly used up all of the funds that I raised and more.

On the day of my diagnosis I contacted Against Breast Cancer to see if I could raise more money for them. I felt that I needed a goal to get through the treatment and in someway pay back my care.They kindly gave both Raich and I a place to run the Amsterdam Marathon 2024. Incredibly the run is on the 20th October which will be the anniversary of my diagnosis.

Those who followed me through Berlin will know that I could not have managed it without Raich supporting me throughout the training and on the day.

This will be an even greater challenge than Berlin, Berlin had a cut off time of 6 hours 15 minutes...I finished in 6 hours 14 minutes. Amsterdam has a cut off time of 6 hours. So, not only will I be training through treatment for cancer but I will have to get faster than I was before.

I have never been a natural athlete. Since I broke my leg and ankle fell running in 2020 I have been diagnosed with numerous other health issues.

In 1993, I spent a year in hospital and was diagnosed with a rare form of haemophilia. They wrote articles about me in the British Medical Journal as I had 16 pulmonary embolisms and numerous internal bleeds. I will never forget a particularly tactless doctor telling me I should not bother continuing to train to be a barrister as I would not live long enough to qualify. I have never reacted well to be told what to do and being told that I was going to die at 19 has probably made me the obstinate cow I am today. Nearly 30 years later and I love my job and annoy my colleagues daily.

I have one and a half lungs that work and am still a regular visitor to hospital.

In August 2012 whilst riding across the Tien Shen Mountains in Kyrgyzstan the horse I was riding tripped and crushed my leg. Unfortunately, the medics in Kyrgyzstan did not try to reverse the bleeding. So by the time I was flown home my leg was a necrotic mess. The surgeon told me before surgery that they would try to save my leg but they thought they would have to amputate it, so to prepare myself. They did an amazing job with skin grafts etc. There was then 4 months in hospital and physio trying to walk properly again. Needless to say my legs are no longer my best feature.... It is however fun to tell small children (who always ask) that I survived a shark attack!! Sadly, my boobs are also no longer a great feature.

I now have hypothyroidism (messes with muscle strength.... makes me more likely to fall, fatigue etc) and osteoporosis (more likely to break bones if I do fall) ... Along with the bleeding issues not a great mix!!!!

As for Raich, everyone thinks this will be easy for her as she is super fit. She is super fit but it is not easy for her. She suffers from systemic sclerosis, a rare auto-immune disease for which there is no cure. This effects her in numerous different ways and has many physical symptoms as well as extreme fatigue.

We hope to raise as much money as possible doing the marathon but are aware that things can go wrong on the way, especially as I will be dealing with cancer myself. We are therefore planning on trying to raise money by also doing shorter races and we are aiming to run 1000 miles between us before Amsterdam. We will also be undertaking other challenges and holding events. Raich is starting with the Penguin Challenge which involves open water swimming twice a month from November to March.

I would be so grateful for any support you can offer us. We will update our training on here.