RUNNING WITH PURPOSE: INSPIRATIONAL STORIES FROM THOSE TAKING PART IN THE BIG HALF
— Birmingham mum Chloe running for RNIB in honour of brave son Blake
—Essex woman who thought she’d never walk again is now running half marathon
—25,000 people registered to take part in UK’s most vibrant running festival on Sunday 7 September
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—-The Big Half, the UK’s most vibrant community running festival, will return to London on Sunday 7 September with more than 25,000 people registered to take part across three events on one fun-packed day.The centrepiece of the festival is The Big Half, which is the UK’s most diverse half marathon and also a huge fundraising event in the calendars of charities up and down the country.Thousands of those taking part in The Big Half, which starts close to Tower Bridge and finishes at the famous Cutty Sark in Greenwich, will be fundraising or raising awareness for a variety of charities and community organisations. Here is a small selection of the most inspiring participant stories this year. MY JOURNEY FROM COUCH TO 5K TO MY FIRST HALF MARATHON HAS BEEN INSPIRED BY MY BRAVE SON BLAKECHLOE KIRBY, 25, FROM BIRMINGHAMCharity: Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB)Chloe Kirby is running The Big Half 2025 to honour her five-year-old son, Blake, who is severely sight impaired.Diagnosed with optic nerve hypoplasia and nystagmus at just 11 weeks old, doctors initially believed Blake was completely blind in both eyes. But just before his first birthday, doctors were astonished to discover that Blake had regained partial vision in one eye — a milestone that defied expectations.“His sight had gone from total blindness to partially functional vision in one eye,” explained Chloe. “His sight has continued to improve, so much so that at his last Great Ormond Street [Hospital] visit we found out he has functional vision in his right eye now.”Although still blind in his left eye, Blake’s vision has improved significantly. He continues to attend regular ophthalmology appointments at a children’s hospital in Birmingham, and the family travels to London every six months for specialist care at Great Ormond Street Hospital.Blake is also supported by charities such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) – the UK’s leading sight loss charity, working to remove barriers for people with visual impairments. They advocate for a fully accessible society where design and environments are inclusive by default – benefiting everyone. “Without charities like the RNIB, sight loss wouldn’t be anywhere near as supported as it is,” said Chloe. “Their practical and emotional support to parents of children with visual impairments is so helpful. They even give children with sight loss festive magic, with accessible letters from Santa in braille and audio so no child is left out.”It was through the RNIB that Chloe and Corey discovered The Big Half. It will be the mum of two’s first mass participation event. Despite initially suffering from anxiety about running in public, Chloe has graduated from the Couch to 5K programme twice and is now looking forward to taking on her first ever half marathon.“As soon as I step out the door to train, I’m on my own for an hour,” she said. “There are some beautiful views where I run, and when I finish, it feels like such an achievement.”By taking on The Big Half, she hopes to show Blake just how amazing he is, as well as her unwavering support for him.“It’s my way of showing Blake how much I support him,” she said. “Blake goes through his struggles every day without choice. To him, they’re not struggles, but to someone like me, if I woke up tomorrow and I had the vision that Blake did, it would feel like the world had ended.”Enthuse fundraising page: The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB): The Big Half 2025I BROKE MY BACK AT 12 NOW I’M RUNNING THE BIG HALF FOR THE HOSPITAL CHARITY THAT GOT ME WALKING AGAINCHLOE HOOPER, 23, ESSEXCharity: Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity Chloe, 23 from Rayleigh in Essex, is taking part in her first ever The Big Half for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity which raises funds to support breakthroughs in research, treatment and care of patients at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust (RNOH) in London.Chloe was just 12 years old when she broke her back in four places and was told she may never walk again. Facing an uncertain future with limited mobility, Chloe was looked after by the team at the RNOH who supported her to walk again.Chloe said: “I broke my back when I was 12 and without the intervention and care of RNOH I would have been bound to a wheelchair for life. I had to have a spinal infusion with two rods and eight screws inserted into my spinal column. The RNOH gave me back the ability to walk. Thanks to their revolutionary work and my exceptional surgeon, I have made a full recovery. I will be forever grateful for their amazing team and the work that they do.”Ten years on from the incident, Chloe has made a full recovery and is not only able to walk but is now preparing to run her first half marathon at The Big Half this September.She said: “I am an avid climber, and I also like mountain biking, but The Big Half 2025 is my first ever half marathon and I hope to raise lots of money to help the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital’s work!Chloe hopes to raise more than £350 for the hospital so they can continue to provide groundbreaking research and support to those facing similar trauma and uncertainty. Fundraising link: Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity: Chloe’s fundraising for RNOH Big HalfTHE BIG HALF HAS GIVEN UNLIKELY MUMMY KAVITA PURPOSE, DISCIPLINE AND HOPEKAVITA TREVENA, 38, BEXLEYHEATHCommunity group: The Unlikely MummyMother-of-two Kavita is taking part in The Big Half for the second time as part of The Unlikely Mummy, a support group she founded after experiencing perinatal mental health challenges following the birth of both of her daughters.Having lived with her own low self-esteem and mental health challenges, Kavita focused her energies on creating a welcoming and inclusive community for others. The Unlikely Mummy support group offers a variety of free or low-cost activities including walking groups, a Mum Run Club, forest woodland retreats, bespoke mentoring, and counselling sessions.Kavita says: “My personal journey into running began after facing the physical and emotional challenges of parenting. I became overweight and lost confidence in myself. Taking on the challenge of The Big Half last year was my way of reclaiming my strength, not just physically, but mentally. It gave me purpose, discipline, and hope.“In 2024, The Unlikely Mummy had a team of nine runners who raised more than £1,200 – enabling us to offer counselling to four more mothers in need. This year, in 2025, our team has grown to 14 runners with a goal of raising £3,000 which will help us reach more women and grow sustainably as a community-led organisation.”Fundraising page: The Unlikely MummyI AM KENYAN AND HATED RUNNING BUT MOVING TO LONDON HAS SHOWN ME HOW IT BRINGS COMMUNITIES TOGETHERFREDERICK LEICA, 40, LONDONCharity: Amnesty International UKHailing from Kenya, Frederick was witness to the thriving running culture in his home country but resisted the urge to get involved in the sport until he moved to London.Since moving to the UK, the 40-year-old has found joy in the local running communities and is now looking forward to taking part in The Big Half for the first time.Frederick says: “Coming from Kenya, you would think running would be second nature to me, but I loathed it – hated it! But [since moving to London] it has offered a great escape and opened the doors to a community of people united by their love of running. When I run I do so for those who are unable to, and I imagine I am carrying their hopes and aspirations with me every step I take.”At the forefront of his mind are those supported by Amnesty International UK, the charity he is raising funds for by taking part in The Big Half 2025. As a global movement of more than 10 million people, Amnesty International is the world’s largest grassroots human rights organisation.“I am thrilled to be fundraising for Amnesty International UK – a charity very close to my heart,” said Frederick. “I am glad I can support their amazing work – protecting and documenting human rights across the world. And at the same time, have fun while I am doing what I love the most… running!”Enthuse fundraising page: Amnesty International UK: Running with Fred & Amnesty internationalNow in its eighth year, The Big Half, which takes place on Sunday 7 September, is both a celebration of running and the communities of London, particularly those in the host boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Southwark and Greenwich.More than 25,000 participants are registered to take part in The Big Half festival of running, which also includes The Big Mile, a family-friendly one-mile event, and The New Balance Big Relay, in which teams of four complete 5K each of the half-marathon route. Entries for 2025 are sold out.For more information please visit The Big Half website.MEDIA ACCREDITATIONTo apply for media accreditation for The Big Half please complete the following form by no later than Friday 29 August – https://wkf.ms/3H5DNz3. Confirmation of media accreditation will be sent out no later than Wednesday 3 September.ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORSAbout The Big HalfThe Big Half is a world-class mass participation event, organised by London Marathon Events, over the half marathon distance (13.1 miles)The community event was first held in 2018 and takes place in four London boroughs: Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets.The Big Half is also a campaign called #WeRunAsOne. This unique event will demonstrate how sport and community can come together to inspire social change, create social cohesion and improve health and wellbeing. Find out more at thebighalf.co.ukLondon Marathon Events Ltd, organisers of The Big Half, gifts its surplus each year to The London Marathon Foundation (the operating name of The London Marathon Charitable Trust, a registered charity (283813) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales (01550741), registered office: 190 Great Dover Street, London, EYB).Since 1981, The London Marathon Foundation has awarded grants totalling in excess of £110 million to more than 1,700 projects in London, Essex and across the UK.London Marathon Foundation has given more than £18.5 million over 380 projects that promote the health and wellbeing of residents in Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets. These grants have funded a variety of projects, meaning that residents can benefit from a range of activities from trying out the London Marathon Playing Field in Greenwich, playing cricket at Catford Wanderers Sports Club in Lewisham, enjoying a free game of table tennis at Marlborough Sports Garden in Southwark, or trying out cycling with Chrisp Street Community Cycles in Tower Hamlets. For further information, please contact: media@londonmarathonevents.co.uk
Lianne Hogan | Communications Manager | London Marathon Events Ltde lianne.hogan@londonmarathonevents.co.uk | m +44 (0) 7921 465111
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