Joanna Sawyer

In memory of my wonderful Dad, I’m running the London Marathon 2026

I signed up to run for this amazing charity back in 2024 when Dad was still here and we fully believed he would be able to get to the race to cheer me on while I ran as a way to show him we were there for his fight against Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. My place was confirmed November 2024, the day after we received the devastating news that as well as the terrible lung disease he was fighting, he also had cancer in his lung. Still, we put it down to fate and believed while he would be very poorly there was still hope he’d be there to at least see me at the finish. Sadly, the 2 conditions made each other worse and Sad had just a few weeks left. We lost him just before Christmas 2025.

I threw myself into training - using it as a chance to cry, a time to reflect and try to make sense of it all and always with the memory of how much Dad pushed himself to do despite the pain and fight for breath he must have been enduring. Unfortunately with just under 3 months to go, I suffered an Achilles injury that persisted for months and months and made me make the difficult decision to defer. Thankfully the charity could offer me a second chance for 2026.

I’ve been training slowly and carefully following the advice of the physio and with 24 days to go; I’m starting to believe I might actually get there!

So may of you donated last year and I’m forever grateful. If you didn’t get round to it last year, I’d love to make even more money for this amazing charity - funding the essential research to stop the suffering my dad went through. 

On the 26th April, I will run with my name on my front and dad’s on my back so he can push me to the finish line.

About Asthma and lung UK:

Every minute, someone in the UK is diagnosed with a lung condition. I want to make a difference. I'm running the London Marathon 2026 for Asthma + Lung UK, the only UK charity that fights for everyone’s right to breathe. Every pound I'm able to raise will take us a step closer to a world where everyone has healthy lungs.

Just £22 allows one of Asthma + Lung UK's nurses to answer a call on the Helpline, offering potentially lifesaving advice. I'd be very grateful for any donations you could make!