PGCE student Kayleigh finishes London Marathon two years after failing to complete 90-second run!

Kayleigh, 29, suffered cruel jibes about her weight when she decided to give the Couch to 5K Challenge another bash in 2023 – some “acquaintances” even going as far to claim that she was “too fat to run”.

But the proud “plus-size woman” proved to herself and those responsible for such callous comments that body shape is no barrier to conquering the 26.2-mile challenge - even in scorching temperatures that soared over 22C.

She also raised more than £1,000 for York-based charity The Island – who provide mental health and well-being support for vulnerable children - in the process!

The furthest distance Kayleigh had completed before the weekend was a recent 16-mile training run and she admits that, when she first decided to take up running, she never anticipated it leading to the world-famous race.

“It was always one of those things I felt I’d like to do. However, did I ever see it as something that was attainable? Definitely not!” she declared. 

“I’d tried the Couch to 5K a billion-and-one times before, but got a few weeks in and, then, decided it wasn’t for me. During this latest attempt – just a couple of years ago – I was struggling to run for even 90 seconds, but I was advised the mistake that I was making was trying to run as quickly as I could and I realised that, if I slowed down, I could run further.

“I still really struggled to get to 5K but then found that, once I had, adding distance became easier. I put in for the (London Marathon) ballot with no real intention of getting in but, then, it happened! 

“All of a sudden, my mum said to me, ‘I’ve booked a hotel,’ so I thought, ‘OK, I’ve got to do this now’. I’d told so many people that I was doing it and didn’t want to deal with the embarrassment of telling them I was pulling out either. 

“As it got closer, I also felt this was something I wanted to prove to myself that I can do, especially as I’m turning 30 this year. It’s one thing off the bucket list before then!

“My love for food and a cold crisp can of Dr Pepper means I don’t quite have the traditional long-distance runner’s physique and I knew I wouldn’t be smashing any sub-four hour times, but showing people that I could cross that finishing line as a ‘fat person’ really motivated me, especially when those who were telling me I couldn’t, have never done it.”

Kayleigh admits that she was feeling the heat from as early as the third mile of the race and, at one point, a “random spectator even lathered her up in sunscreen”.

After five miles, she felt she had “no chance of completing” but, at mile 12, she recalls “managing to drag myself over Tower Bridge with some semblance of a smile on my face” and, after seeing her mum Lisa at the halfway point, she remembers the marathon taking “a positive turn” and “finding a burst of energy from somewhere”. 

The next few miles then “seemed to fly by” and, before she knew it, she was at mile 23 running towards Big Ben and convincing herself: “5km to go…easy” despite it being her eighth 5K of the day!

On that famous final run down The Mall, Kayleigh confessed: “No moment can beat seeing the finish line and putting all my energy into crossing it. I thought I would cry once I got the medal, but I was just too dehydrated by that point!

“After walking for about another kilometre, I found my mum and then proceeded to nearly pass out twice!”

Kayleigh is now hoping that completing the marathon can inspire others - not necessarily to do the same – but to take up running by ignoring any nasty naysayers.  

“When I told people that I knew – let’s call them acquaintances rather than friends - that I had started running, some would look surprised,” she revealed. “A few said, ‘Well, how do you run because you’re too fat’. 

“Then, when I told them I was going to run a marathon, they’d say, ‘You’re never going to be able to do it because you’re too fat for that and you’re really going to struggle with it’. I’d even had similar comments a few years before when I took up hiking. 

“I know that it’s worth recognising that it’s harder to run when you’re carrying more weight and I knew I wouldn’t be sprinting through the finish line at the end of the Marathon, but it seems to be a negative issue when people who are bigger start to exercise and a bad thing, too, if you’re not exercising. I’ve taken steps to improve my physical health and often the ones that are making these comments are the ones who aren’t doing that but, perhaps, have a really good metabolism.

“I’m not particularly self-conscious about my size as such. I’m not worried about people looking at me and seeing me as a bigger person, but I do want to be physically fitter and healthier.

“When I first started running, I couldn’t last for longer than 90 seconds and that’s clearly not a good thing and I would like to lose a bit more weight to take more pressure off my knees. For larger women, I think the fear that somebody is going to say something is the one thing that stops people running and there is always going to be that one person who does, but I don’t think we should let that put us off. 

“I think you have to go out and enjoy it. It’s made me be able to manage my mental well-being a lot more and has improved my relationship with food. I see it now as more about fuelling my body rather than just pleasure and helping me get through a rough day.”

Happily, as well, Kayleigh has benefitted from plenty of positive support from the general running community.

She is a member of the Slow AF Facebook group, where people post times that are applauded for their individual significance in an environment that is far removed from the sometimes self-gratifying and ultra-competitive world of Strava obsessives. 

Completing the race in seven hours, 19 minutes and 43 seconds, Kayleigh also appreciated the cheers of encouragement from the London crowds, as she had last year at the Leeds Half-Marathon when legions of road-side strangers willed her to the finish line despite suffering a foot injury with three miles to go 

“I’ve found out that the vast majority of people at races are supportive,” Kayleigh smiled. “There are bigger people than me too, wearing shorts and with their arms out, so that environment does make you more body positive.”

The impact on Kayleigh’s mind has been equally as uplifting. 

“I was struggling quite a bit with my mental health before I started running and, as a Psychology teacher, I probably should be good at knowing how to manage that,” she reasoned. “But I was always the kind of person who wasn’t very good at listening to the advice that you need to exercise a bit more and sleep and eat better.

“I thought it was all a bit wishy-washy but, if I ever feel that I’m struggling a bit now, I’ll go for a run and it makes me feel a lot better.”

Kayleigh enjoys running solo but also with friends and family.

She signed up for her first races – the 5K Race for Life and York 10K – with her work colleague and York College Progress Coach Charlotte Wareham and has also ran, as a supportive presence, alongside people who are embarking on their own Couch to 5K journey.    

Her most frequent running partner, though, is mum Lisa, who is also Kayleigh’s biggest fan, travelling down south with her at the weekend to wave, in her daughter’s words, a “horrendous” flag with her face on it during Sunday’s world-famous race.

Pounding the streets together has brought the pair closer, too, with South Milford-based Kayleigh adding: “My mum took up running six months after me and is the main person I run with. She lives in Lincolnshire and it’s made sure we spend a lot more time together and talk to each other a lot more, which is great.

“We’re doing the Great North Run in September and she’s now putting in for the ballot for London next year!”

In her preparation for the Marathon, Kayleigh would also use the treadmill in College’s Athletic Suite between delivering afternoon lessons to students and attending her PGCE course tutorials on a Tuesday night.

One of her favourite runs, meanwhile, is around the Knavesmire, but she is considering joining a running club closer to home “to be held more accountable and learn from others”. 

Picking up valuable tips from more experienced runners is something Kayleigh would advise anybody who is currently in the position she found herself a couple of years ago.

For longer runs, she also uses a method called jeffing, which see her run in three-minute intervals interspersed with 45-second walks.

It was a tactic she first spotted being used by a fellow competitor during a 10-mile race, who she noticed was staying ahead of her despite Kayleigh’s attempts at running the whole distance.

“Because I’m a bigger person, I find jeffing helps with the strain on my knees and it improves my speed too,” she pointed out. “It helps you do quicker bursts and the strict intervals also stop you from thinking, ‘I’ll just walk for a little bit longer’ because, the moment you do that, is the moment your body starts seizing up.

“What I found worked best for me, too, when I was first starting off was having a running partner because, if you’re running on your own, there’s almost more opportunity to feel self-conscious whereas, if you’re running with somebody else, you feel a lot more confident and not as intimidated by people driving past.

“I’d also advise starting off in a gym. I think you’ll find that the gym environment is really supportive and, then, you can look to make that transition outside.

“Finally, the best piece of advice I ever got was, once you start running, just slow it down massively. Sometimes, you might be running slower than your walking pace, but it’s all about getting more confident running and building up those muscles that will definitely ache when you’re first starting!” 

Donations to Kayleigh’s Just Giving page can still be made with The Island also one of York College’s chosen charities for the 2024/25 academic year.

Explaining her reason for choosing the charity, Kayleigh said: “I grew up in what you would classify a disadvantaged background and, as a teacher and in my previous role as a social worker, I have seen the importance that having a stable role model can have upon young people. So many don’t have that, but it’s so necessary and valuable in helping them manage their mental health and the different challenges you go through in life. The Island is an incredible local charity that provides that mentoring.”

Kayleigh’s Just Giving page can be visited here

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