Inspirational mum gearing up to tackle the London Marathon in memory of her son

Nicola Challice, a credit controller at Paragon Veterinary Referrals in Wakefield, is a dedicated runner and uses this form of exercise to help her through the pain of losing her child.

Last year she completed the 26.2-mile ‘virtual’ marathon for the first time, raising more than £3,000 for the Make a Wish charity, helping parents across the country share precious moments with their critically-ill children.

This year, Nicola will be taking on the challenge around her son’s birthday and anniversary of his death – an incredibly difficult time for her, but one that she says will inspire her to finish.

She said: “You cannot really put into words the hardship and emotion that comes from losing a child.

"It is truly an unimaginable experience and I am so determined to help families up and down the country create long-lasting memories with their children, something I never got the chance to do.

“I have been training regularly in the run up to the marathon and am confident that I will be able to get it done in a good time.

“This isn’t the easiest time of year for me, but I know that when it gets tough, Ethan’s memory will inspire me to cross the finish line.”

Nicola uses running as a daily stress buster and says she cannot stress enough the importance of exercise for mental health.

“I strongly believe that running makes me a better person and a mum to my daughter. Often people ask me why I run every day, sometimes even on holiday but I do so because it helps me let loose and affords me the time to process my thoughts and everything else going on.

“The pandemic and lockdown have been difficult for everyone and running is one of the few things that kept me sane.

“It wasn’t easy juggling working from home with online school in addition to keeping a household running smoothly but taking a few minutes out every day to get a run in really does wonders.

“You can’t pour from an empty cup and I cannot stress enough the importance of getting some form of exercise in every day!”

Nicola aims to raise even more funds this year and has been working hard towards achieving her £4,000 goal.

If you’d like to sponsor Nicola, you can visit her JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/Nicola- Challice1.