My Story

On the 25th of February 2015, my beloved dad finally lost his long battle with heart disease. After several years of deteriorating health, his final years were spent at home, lovingly nursed by our wonderful mum.

Dad had a slow and painful death but never lost his spirit, for he was determined to live every heartbeat he had left. His sense of determination, resilience, and zest for life was incredibly inspiring, and I will be forever proud—and grateful—to call him Dad!

In 2015, I had signed up to run the London Marathon with the British Heart Foundation, as their motto—for every heartbeat—really resonated with Dad's determination to live. Sadly, he died two months before I ran. It was a difficult time, one that I wouldn’t have been able to get through without the support of family, friends, and the wonderful Year 5 class I was teaching at the time.

With the help of my talented teaching assistant, the children made me a red cape with my name on it and sewed in 30+ good luck messages they had each written (photo above). Despite having done very little training due to my dad’s passing, when I wore that cape, I thought I could fly. And I did. I ran the 26.2 miles with some added help from my dad and my class of children. I got to the end and swore—never again…

But here I am, marking his 10-year anniversary with a repeat performance.

Very sadly, in the last year or so, my older sister has experienced similar heart problems to my dad. Although she is doing very well (thank you, universe and God!), once again, as a family, we find ourselves experiencing familiar heartache and worry. So this time, I have double the reason to run.

Forty-one-year-old me is definitely not as sprightly as 31-year-old me, but the drive, determination, love for my dad and sister, and love for life in general burns as brightly as ever. Despite not initially securing a place in the London Marathon and instead gaining a spot in the Manchester Marathon, the stars aligned, and a place in London became available in January.

So here I am, pounding the beautiful promenade in Mumbles, running past the hospital where my dad once worked, and feeling incredibly grateful that, once again, I can run for every heartbeat.

The cape is ready to fly once again!

If you are able to sponsor me, I would be incredibly grateful, as the BHF does phenomenal work.

Diolch yn fawr,
Kathryn