Mother takes on marathon in memory of son who died before his first birthday

A woman who started running as a “coping mechanism” after her young son died from a rare childhood cancer is taking on the TCS London Marathon in his memory.

Suzie began running after Max died from a malignant rhabdoid tumour in August 2019, just before his first birthday.

She will be running the marathon to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Children’s Charity as the unit cared for Max when he was ill.

“The fundraising means I can still be a mum to Max,” she said.

Suzie, who took part in a 5km fun run for GOSH in late 2019 with a group wearing Max the Brave T-shirts, said the 26.2 miles of the marathon will be the longest race she has run and will be “the challenge of a lifetime”.

“I only started running after Max passed away,” she said.

“It was a coping mechanism at the time, but it proved to be really positive for my physical and mental health.

“Before I started training for the TCS London Marathon I would go to the gym to keep fit but didn’t do much running other than two minutes on the treadmill.

“To go from that to a marathon is a huge jump, and before recently it had never crossed my mind.

“I’m not a fast runner and currently pace is not my priority. I know what feels comfortable to me.

“Training for the TCS London Marathon has changed my feelings towards running for the better.

“A marathon felt like the hardest thing I could possibly achieve, and the fact that I’m getting stronger, healthier and fitter has shown me that I am capable of more than I thought possible.

“I’m doing something positive for myself, GOSH charity and my son.”