Charlotte's Marathon: why I'm taking on the London Marathon

Charlotte Twigg is one of our Hospice fundraisers, who you will often see out in the community giving our supporters the help they need to raise money. Well this year, Charlotte has pledged to do her own fundraising by taking on the ultimate challenge, the London Marathon. 

Rewind to October 2022, I was sitting in the office and I heard my colleagues coming in following watching the marathon the day before, everyone was saying how much of an amazing day it was, the inspiring stories, the achievements and goals people had reached and I decided that I wanted that to be me.

When applications opened, I wrote mine out, waited and here we are, I am now a part of #TeamSFH and I will be sharing my journey from start to finish; the highs, lows and everything in between.

What I learned at my first London Marathon

This isn’t my first marathon, I ran in 2019 but I was unprepared, mentally and physically and there is so much that I will be doing differently this time round, it was difficult… but I do remember it being the most amazing thing I have ever done and crossing that line filled me with so much pride for myself.

One of the things I need to make sure I do this year which I didn’t last time round is smile, so many people told me to smile around the course so I have photos to remember the moments but my photos only show me crying and looking miserable, let’s just say those photos didn’t make the hall of fame (but they do make people laugh).

Running the marathon in 2019

I will also be a lot calmer, I had a lot of anxiety in the run up to the marathon because I didn’t know what to expect and how it would work in the morning. All I can say is there is no reason to be worried. Everything is so well organised and sign posted. You will know exactly where you are going and whilst you’re there make some friends, there are so many people who will be waiting with you who are in the same boat.

This time, I won’t put too much pressure on myself, first time round I was so worried about what time I would get and I didn’t actually stop to take in my surroundings, I didn’t stop for family and friends and I regret that. This time around I will be taking everything in, smiling and greeting my family. I am not worried about my time. I want to remember this moment for the rest of my life.

Why I chose to run for Saint Francis Hospice

I work as a fundraiser at Saint Francis Hospice and I love my job and the work we do is simply amazing so for me it was an obvious choice to want to run for this charity. Every day I get to see first-hand the work that we do and speak to incredible people which we support, I want to be a part of the reason our Hospice continues its work and I want to help other families when they need hospice care, just like hospice care has helped mine.

When I was 8 years old, my beautiful mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer at just 39 years of age. Throughout her illness she still made the most of every single moment. She had a passion for life and she decided that regardless of her illness she was still going to enjoy every moment - and that she did.

With mum before she died

When her journey was coming to an end she decided that she would like to seek help from our local hospice and they were simply amazing. They held out their arms to provide help, support, care, love and most importantly time, which is the greatest gift. Those final moments with mum, relaxed and at peace, gave everyone a chance to say goodbye and gave us moments and memories that we will forever cherish.

Now that I am an adult, I look back on her journey which was so very short, and I realise that I had a mum who had so much strength, drive and a passion to make every moment count and I want to use her spirit to get me through this marathon. In her memory, I want to raise as much money as possible so many more families can have the moments and memories that I cherish.

Follow me on my journey

Now, all that I have to do is train, prepare myself, raise as much money as I can and cross that finish line. I am going to take you on my marathon journey, trying out different foods, routes, fundraising ideas, you name it.  I will be sharing my highest highs and my lowest lows - this is a journey and I will be as honest as possible. I am scared, I am excited but most of all I am determined to make a difference. It is time to put down the prosecco and pick up the Lucozade sport!

If you'd like to keep updated with my journey, the follow the Hospice on social media. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Linked in and Twitter.