There are many fundraising challenges in the world of sport – mountainous treks, bungee jumps, skydives – but nothing quite like running a marathon. Marathons are physical and mental challenges of vigour, determination, courage and heart.

There are those who run marathons regularly and those who’ve never run one before. Let’s throw a spotlight on the people who took the stride of courage in the 2022 TCS London Marathon – specifically, two incredible women.

In the 21st century, women are breaking stereotypes in all aspects of the world, but specifically in sport: the Lionesses won the 2022 Euros; Team GB’s women’s curling team won Great Britain’s only gold medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics; and the USA’s Allyson Felix is now the most decorated athlete in the World Athletics Championships!

Two female superstars among our many 2022 TCS London Marathon runners were Natalie and Kerrie. Both ran for loved ones and both had never run a marathon before!

Natalie ran for her brother and dad: "Before training for the marathon, the furthest I’d ever run was 5K – at a push! The marathon was a huge challenge for me, both mentally and physically, but I honestly mean it when I say running and training for the marathon has changed my life, not only in my relationship with fitness, but also challenging situations at work and in my personal life.

"Training was unbearable at times, but that feeling of accomplishment, nothing compares! You learn so much about yourself during those moments, pushing through when everything is telling you to give up, but the elation I felt when I crossed the Finish Line is a moment I’ll remember forever."

Kerrie, who ran for her son, said: "Running the TCS London Marathon was inspiring, but my inspiration was my son who was diagnosed with Crohn’s four years ago. I wanted to show him how proud I was of him.

"I’ve never really been a runner, but when I started, I believed I may be able to do this and saw self-belief in myself. The feeling it gave me was amazing – my confidence grew and it made me feel, both in my professional and personal life, that I could achieve whatever I set my mind to.

"On Marathon Day, when I got to mile 24, I realised what I was achieving and felt so empowered. When I crossed the Finish Line, I thought, I can do anything – nothing will ever beat me."

We’re here every step of our runners' journeys with fundraising materials, e-newsletters and exclusive Facebook group.

Having raised more than £250,000 for the charity, we can’t thank our outstanding team enough. It’s their dedication and super fundraising that could contribute to advanced training for 50 IBD specialist nurses.

We strive to empower those with the conditions to share their stories, to empower friends and families of those with the conditions to stand with us and their loved ones for a world free of Crohn’s and colitis.

We empower our team to take a stride of courage in the TCS London Marathon! To sign up today, click here.