Sarah A

I’m running the London Marathon 2027 to fight for lung health!

A year from now, I’ll be standing on the start line of the London Marathon – something I’ve talked about since I was a kid but never truly believed I’d actually do.

For years it was always, “One day I’d love to run the London Marathon.” It felt like the kind of thing that would stay a bucket list dream rather than become real. Now it has a date, and over the next year I’ll be doing everything I can to get to that start line and, hopefully, the finish.

I’m not a lifelong runner. I haven’t run properly since my teens, and even then I was a sprinter – 200 metres was fine, anything longer definitely wasn’t.

Now, at 35, I’m starting from scratch again. I’ve just finished a beginner programme and can now run 5k. There’s still a long way to go, but each run feels like a small step towards something much bigger.

I’m running this marathon in memory of my nan, Phyllis.

She was one of the warmest, kindest people you could ever meet – full of humour, endlessly supportive, and happiest when she was surrounded by her family. Nothing made her prouder than seeing us doing well, and she had a way of making everyone feel loved and looked after.

She was always at the centre of everything, even family days out – at 70 she was still climbing Moel Famau with us, in her nanna heels, smart trousers and blouse, as if she were heading out for lunch rather than up a Welsh hill.

In later life, her health changed. She lived with COPD and suffered multiple collapsed lungs, eventually needing oxygen 24 hours a day. As it progressed, she became less confident going out, worried about relying on her oxygen in public. Seeing someone so independent become restricted by lung disease was incredibly hard.

That’s why I’m running for Asthma + Lung UK.

The charity supports people living with lung conditions, funds vital research, and helps families affected by respiratory illness – work that makes a real difference to people facing the same challenges my nan did.

This marathon isn’t about a finish time. It’s about doing something I’ve always wanted to do, raising money for a good cause, and seeing it through properly.

Over the next year I’ll be training, learning as I go, struggling through some runs, enjoying others, and probably complaining about the long ones more than once. I’ll share the journey honestly along the way.

If you’re able to donate, thank you. Every contribution helps Asthma + Lung UK continue their work supporting people living with lung conditions and funding research into better treatments.

Thank you for reading and for any support – it means more than I can properly put into words.