From £2,600 to 2,600 miles…

...or my charitable causes – like buses, none at all or three at once!

When I decided to run the London Marathon in 2005, it was intended as a one-off 40th birthday challenge, and having secured a charity place with Help the Hospices I went all out to raise money and was thrilled, and thankful to friends and family, to reach £2,600.

Eighteen years later and hopefully soon to reach in excess of 2,600 marathon miles, I still marvel at the positive difference running has made to my life and the money raised for many different charities. Thanks to incredible generosity the total is around £13,000, of which half was for dementia research charity BRACE on completion of my 50th marathon at age 50, a big fundraising push as my dad was then living with dementia.

Sadly Dad passed away aged just 73, the age that my husband John was when he was diagnosed with dementia in 2017. 2017 was the same year I made the first of, what became, quite a few calls to The Samaritans after the sudden death of my lovely mum left me suffering from sustained and severe panic attacks. One of the ways that helped me deal with both these sadnesses was finding my happy place running on the South West Coast Path.

I walked this 630-mile spectacular trail in one go in 1998, and it’s been fantastic to return to it as a runner and tackle the often challenging terrain in all weathers, all seasons, and all four counties. Twenty-five of my 48 marathons in the last six years have been on the coast path.

It was therefore the obvious choice for marathon 100 – which will be the Exe Estuary Marathon on Sunday 16th July, an event put on by the excellent organisers Winding Paths.

I haven’t done any marathon fundraising since the 50th eight years ago – you can’t keep asking the same people – but I couldn’t let 2,600 miles pass without putting forward causes close to my heart.

So with two months to the big day, I’m launching my, click here… Sponsor Me fundraising page in support of: Exeter Dementia Action Alliance, a local organisation that raises awareness about dementia; The Samaritans (Exeter and District Branch), what compassionate, understanding people the Samaritans are; and the South West Coast Path Association, which supports the stunning natural trail, Britain’s longest.

It’s fitting timing, as this week in May also happens to be Dementia Action Week, Mental Health Awareness Week, and the start of the Coast Path 50th anniversary Trailblazer walk.

As I said, my charitable causes appear like buses, none at all or three at once!

Any support would be most welcome, thank you.