Why I’m Running the London Marathon for YoungMinds

I never imagined I would find myself applying to run the London Marathon. In fact, when I applied, I was probably further away from being active than I had been for years. But I applied anyway…and somewhat terrifyingly, I was offered a place.

The past two years have been difficult for me personally, and they had a significant impact on my mental health. One of the things I noticed was how much I had started to withdraw socially and began isolating myself from friends and family. Gradually, exercise became something that disappeared from my life altogether. I have spent around two years away from the gym and had lost something that had previously been an important part of my wellbeing and identity.

Then, in 2026, I watched a friend of mine run the London Marathon.

Watching the experience made me see the marathon differently. I was inspired not just by the physical achievement, but by the stories behind the runners. Every person seemed to be running for something or someone.

There were stories of loss, hope, recovery, family, friendship, and causes that mattered deeply to them. It made me realise the marathon is about more than running 26.2 miles; it’s about running for something that matters.

For me, running the London Marathon is about challenging myself to do something that I would never have imagined doing. It is about finding my way back to exercise and reconnecting with a part of myself I thought I had lost whilst reminding myself that difficult periods do not have to define what comes next. But most importantly, it is about YoungMinds.

Choosing YoungMinds as my charity was an easy decision. I am a lecturer in Mental Health at Middlesex University, and much of my professional life is centred around supporting the next generation of mental health professionals. Through my work, I see how important it is that young people receive the right support at the right time.

YoungMinds particularly resonated with me because their work goes beyond supporting the individual young person. YoungMinds focuses on the bigger picture. They recognise that supporting young people’s mental health also means supporting the parents, carers and education professionals around them. If we want to improve young people's mental health, we need to create systems and environments that support them in the first place. YoungMinds achieves this through challenging what is not working and advocating for meaningful change.

So, over the coming months, I will be lacing up my shoes for early morning runs, long training sessions and, no doubt, plenty of moments when I question why I signed up for this!

But I know what I am running for.

I am running for a personal goal, but I am also running for young people who deserve access to the support they need. I am running for the parents and carers who need someone to turn to. I am running for better mental health support within our education systems. And I am running for the idea that we can do more to change the systems that shape young people's mental health.

Most importantly, after a difficult couple of years, I am running for something bigger than myself.

With World Mental Health Day coming up on 10th October 2026, I want to challenge the MDX community to take one small action to make a difference to mental health.

My challenge is simple:

• Check in with a colleague, friend or loved one. A simple “How are you?” can sometimes mean more than we realise.
• Check in with yourself. Do one thing that supports your own wellbeing – get out in nature, reconnect with an old hobby, or do some exercise.
• Donate to my fundraising page if you can. £1, £5 or £10 might seem small, but when we all come together, those donations can have a significant impact.

Donate to my fundraising page.

If donating is not possible, simply sharing my fundraising page or talking about mental health can help spread the message.

This World Mental Health Day, I hope we can all do something - however small - to support our own mental health and the mental health of those around us.

Thank you for supporting me as I run for something that really matters #TeamMDX!