London Marathon 2026: Our reasons for running

“In the toughest moments I will think of my family and everyone who has supported me” 

I am Molly, I’m 25, and I was diagnosed with CF at six-weeks-old. Growing up with CF, there were so many what ifs and unknowns. I spent a lot of my life wrapped up in cotton wool, because my parents didn't know what was going to happen and they didn't know how long I was going to be here. 

Kaftrio has made a big difference to my life – and I know so many others lives too. I no longer feel like I have that fear about the future. 

I've never really been a sporty person, but I watched my sister-in-law do the London Marathon last year and I just had this feeling overcome me thinking, ‘Wow, what an amazing day’ and this realisation that I sort of want to do it too! Before I knew it, I had signed up and will be running alongside my partner, Cameron.  

I’ve never done anything like this before, so it’s completely new to me but I wanted to do something to give back to Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the CF community. In the toughest moments of training, I think of how I’m not going to let CF stop me and I think of my family and everyone who has supported me in my life. 

I'm turning 26 two days before the marathon, so I am running each mile for every year that I've survived CF. 

“CF has taught me how strong I really am” 

I’m Josie, I'm 21, and I live with my two brothers, my mum, stepdad, three dogs and a cat – so it’s one big and busy house!  

I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when I was 11 and it changed my life. It was very scary to go from a normal life to a completely different one – having to learn all these rules and learning to live a life that wasn’t mine. I didn’t quite understand what CF was, so it was all a learning curve. CF has taught me how strong I really am.    

I’ve decided to run the marathon to prove to people, and myself, that nothing is impossible for me. I want to give back to the people who supported me through a crazy time in my life. Running and keeping fit has improved my health so much and hopefully I carry on after the race.  

If anyone was thinking of running the marathon for the Trust, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell them to do it! Your fundraising helps fund research to find more medications and improve lives.  

“I wanted to give back as the Trust has helped lots of people with CF over the years” 

I’m George, I’m 36-years-old but only found out I had CF when I was 33. Me and my partner were trying for a baby and I had multiple tests and eventually saw a specialist. He had a suspicion I might have CF and sent me for a blood test which is how they diagnosed me. 

My wife thinks that it was a good thing we found out about my CF, because it helped us plan for the future, and could have saved my life. I’ll never know if I would have been able to live a long and healthy life without medication, but now we have a second child on the way in April, and medication has definitely improved my overall health. 

I have a lot going on in my life, with family, work, and CF, and the diagnosis does get me down sometimes, but I’m trying to look on the positive side.  

I wanted to give back as the Trust has helped lots of people with CF over the years, so I’m giving the marathon a go. I’m only going to do one, so don’t think I’m going to catch the marathon bug! 

It’s also interesting timing – my daughter is due to be born on 12 April, so we’re hoping she will be there for the big race. Either way, I’m hoping to have lots of friends and family cheer me on. 

“I want to break the CF London Marathon record” 

My name is Isaac and I was diagnosed with CF two weeks after I was born. Thankfully, my mum was a nurse and so she knew a lot of about cystic fibrosis. 

In my first year of university studying biomedical science I had pancreatitis and blocked intestines. I had to stay in hospital and it was the most pain I’ve ever been in. Then my lung function started dropping and I got admitted to hospital again. I had IV and steroids, a swollen face, and my blood sugar was through the roof, which was a nightmare for my CF. I’ve never experienced anything like it. 

I started running on the treadmill in hospital with two PICC lines in my arms. At the time, my lung function was very low. After a few days I was discharged and slowly started getting better, so I signed up to the London Marathon 2024.

My lung function got better and I completed London Marathon almost exactly a year since getting out of hospital. I ran it in three hours and eight minutes and wanted to push myself further which is why I’m doing it again! I loved doing the London Marathon. The atmosphere was insane and I wrote on my hand where all the CF cheering crews were to give me a boost as I was going round.  

I also signed up for an IRONMAN (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile run) in January this year and completed it in October. I got the unofficial World Record for someone with CF at 10.38. I just wanted to show people what I could do!  

I met a lot of people and got messages from parents with CF saying how it was good seeing someone with CF achieving good things. When you have a diagnosis that can be quite negative, it can feel quite doom and gloom, so those parents said it was good to see people push the limits and know their kids could do things like that too. 

In the London Marathon this year, I want to break the CF World Record. The official one is 2.57 and unofficial is 2.47, so I’ll be trying to break the official record. 

“All of a sudden I was a sick person” 

I’m Lily and I was diagnosed with CF when I was about four years old and my little sister was born. She was very unwell and was in hospital and they tested her for CF. When her test came back positive, I got tested too and they realised I had CF as well. 

Even though I don’t remember much from then, it was a very big change – I had all of these hospital appointments to attend and nebulisers to do. Technology has moved on a bit since then but I remember them being massive. All of a sudden I was a sick person. 

Now, as an adult, CF isn’t something I massively focus on. Me and my sister both try not to make it a bigger part of our lives than it needs to be. Our main symptoms are poor lung function and chest infections, but Kaftrio has made a big difference there. My sister was on the trial and I started taking it during the pandemic and within a few months I noticed the difference. I don’t have to do as many treatments or nebulisers anymore and my lung function has been a lot better.  

Kaftrio has been life-changing so hopefully it will help me to remain stable health-wise for a while. Without it, I probably wouldn’t be currently training for the London Marathon. 

I was supposed to do the London Marathon last year but it didn’t quite go to plan as I fractured my foot. This year, training has been going well. I think I’m better prepared for what is to come. 

I really enjoy running because it’s a good way to get out of the house and get in a good headspace. CF has challenges because sometimes it feels like the hardest thing ever. I take each day as it comes and if I don’t feel as up for it, I listen to my body but still try and do something.