A MUM OF TWO is running the TCS London Marathon 2027 for neurodivergent children after getting off the couch and shedding 10 stone along the way.
Carys Thurlby missed out in the ballot but has landed a place with Caudwell Children, a charity which supports the families of disabled and neurodivergent children.
She began running less than a year ago with the Couch to 5k app, and has gone from struggling to run for a minute to completing a 34-mile ultra-marathon in Malvern.
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BEFORE: Carys Thurlby struggled to run for a single minute as she went from couch to 5k (Image: Carys Thurlby/Carys’s fundraiser for Caudwell Children)
Carys, from St John’s, said “Caudwell Children is a cause that’s incredibly close to my heart.
“I’m a trainee educational psychologist and mum to two neurodivergent children, so supporting disabled and autistic children through my fundraising feels very personal.”
Carys, 42, will be taking her place in ‘The Double’, whereby the marathon will host 100,000 participants across Saturday, April 24 and the following day.
The runner and all of the entrants will follow the same 26.2-mile route from Greenwich to Westminster.
She has so far raised more than £800 on her JustGiving page.
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AFTER: Carys Thurlby hits the gym on the road to the TCS London Marathon 2027 (Image: Carys Thurlby/Carys’s fundraiser for Caudwell Children)
“The reason I’m so excited about London is that, less than a year ago, I wasn’t a runner at all,” Carys said.
“I started with couch to 5K and in under 12 months I’ve gone from struggling to run for a minute to completing an ultra-marathon.
“Alongside that journey, I’ve lost 10 stone, and running has completely changed my life.
“It’s become far more than exercise.
“It’s helped me manage the demands of doctoral training, family life and ADHD, while giving me confidence I never imagined I’d have in my 40s.”
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According to the NHS, neurodivergent describes a minority group that diverts neurologically from the ‘norm’ of different brains and the related expression in a population.
One of Carys’s fundraising projects is called ’26 Reasons’, where she will be carrying the names of 26 neurodivergent children on a printed ribbon, dedicating each mile to celebrating one of them and raising awareness of the strengths and challenges of the relevant conditions, such autism and ADHD.
“Although I missed out in the ballot, I genuinely feel like I’ve already won by being given the opportunity to run for a charity that means so much to me,” she said.
*Sponsor Carys at www.justgiving.com/page/carys-thurlby-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL and follow her journey by searching on Facebook for ‘Carys’ London Marathon 2027 for Caudwell Children’
