I've entered the Brighton Marathon on April 12th 2026. It has a cut off point of 8 hours for a medal. So I wanted to see if that was possible for me to complete in under 8 hours and check that not also did I have the stamina for it but I also had the mental capacity to complete 26 miles.
I'm not in it for a fast time, I'm in it to complete the marathon, that's all and to raise awareness of Bowel Research UK, fundraise any amount where possible and create a legacy and keep Stephanie's memory alive.
Stephanie is one of our 5 adult children in a blended family who died at the age of 36 on the 7th of October 2024, without warning from Bowel ischaemia, which is the cause of death of around 3000 in the UK every year. It is almost impossible to diagnose.
We also have a 4 year old grandson who was born with Hirchsprung's disease and spent most of the first year in and out of hospital and had several major surgeries and had a stoma bag which was successfully reversed.
The Winter Walk was not a stroll around London. It was a 26 mile trek around the City and I completed it in 7 hours and 44 minutes according to Strava, although the Ultra Challenge site gave me a different time. I set Strava off as I set off walking and only stopped it as I crossed the line and collected my medal. I didn't stop it or pause it at the rest stops as I wanted it to reflect my time out on the course.
Peter and I booked a hotel in Wandsworth and drove down on the Friday night. I got everything ready the night before as I had to get up at 6am to catch the train at 6.30am on the Saturday morning.
I missed the train and ended up sitting on the platform in Wandsworth Town in the dark on my own for 20 minutes as I'd gone to platform 3 that only ran to Vauxhall on a Sunday, and watched the train leave platform 4 without me.
Well signposted and lots of people heading the same way as me and only a short walk to The Oval and getting light.
I still had time to grab a coffee and a photo.
A warm up session after registration and a briefing and we were off.
I headed off on my own at a brisk pace and the sightss of London kept me focused.
There were plenty of things to see on route.
And it wasn't long before I met up with two women who I walked with to the first rest stop.
The first rest stop and I just used the toilets, picked up some fruit and a drink and was straight back on the route with one of the women.
Now on the opposite side of the river.
Peter was waiting for me at this point as he'd been tracking me on the app, but it said I'd walked past so he'd headed back to The Oval on the train to wait there, we came past a few minutes later. the app was ahead of itself.
The half way point. I checked in, then sat outside with Peter for a quick lunch. Peter headed back into London for the afternoon.
I headed back out on my own and my pace slowed. It took a while before I picked up with anyone and it was a bit lonely.
There was less to see and the distances between the sites felt a lot longer.
I was tempted to detour when I walked past our hotel.
Around this point I developed a boot malfunction and some grit under the insole in my boot came free and was rubbing me. As soon as I took my boot off to investigate I knew I'd made a big mistake and I started to struggle with my walking.
At the third rest stop, I was able to sort my boots out properly, adjust the insole and my sock and put some plasters on, someone offered to get me a drink and some food. I had 8kms to go and I literally just put one foot in front of the other and got on with it.
It was around this point at 22 miles I think, that I hit the wall, where I felt I couldn't go on any more and started to cry. I almost came to a stop. But I kept thinking about Stephanie and how she was unable to complain and how resilient she was and how determined she was to do something if she really wanted to do it.
There was a time when all 5 children were at home and Peter was away working and Stephanie decided she was having the loaf of bread out the kitchen, she spent all day trying to get at it. I'd wrapped it up, put it in the bread bin and put the bread bin in the far corner of the work surface. I'd moved the kitchen table up against the work surface to stop her getting to it.
She kept coming into the kitchen, trying to get past me. She'd had lunch, had snacks, had plenty to drink, there was no need for her to have the bread. I have no idea how it happened but the next thing I knew was she was sitting there on the sofa, loaf of bread in hand, all squashed by now, corner of plastic bag in her mouth, ripping at it with her teeth getting that bread out the bag, with a sheer look of determination on her face, laughing and me just shaking my head and just laughing back at her, knowing that as well as having to make dinner for 5 kids that evening, getting uniforms and school bags ready, I'd now have to add going to the shops for a loaf of bread for sandwiches as well as doing bath and bedtime.
And that memory is what kept me going, it is what lifted the bad mood and the tiredness and what helped me pick up my feet for the next mile as slow as I was.
And as I walked round the last bend towards the final mile, there sat Peter on a wall, waiting for the past 45 minutes and I cried again as he said 'come on, you've got this'
And do you know what?
I have got this.
I've got my medal for walking a marathon.
I've got the ability to run one in April.
And I've got the most wonderful daughter who continues to walk by my side whenever and wherever I go reminding me I can do whatever I want in life if I'm determined enough to do it and I start by just putting one foot in front of the other.
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