If there’s one thing I’ve learned from running — and life — it’s that progress doesn’t always happen in a straight line.

About ten years ago, I took up running with one goal: finish the Great North Run. Thanks to the amazing folks at Ashington Hirst Running Club, I made it — and somewhere along the way, running became more than just a one-off challenge. It became part of who I was. I also picked up some amazing friends along the way.

I kept it going… until I couldn’t.

In November 2020, our son Joe — who had been my buggy running partner for years — outgrew the last commercially available running buggy we had. Given that Joe isn’t your typical six year old (at the time) we just couldn’t do what we did before.

Running took a back seat. Life had other priorities.

Thanks to the incredible support of The Chronicle Sunshine Fund and Freedom For Kids, we eventually secured a specialist buggy. We started with walks, adjusting to the new gear and the inevitable awkward feelings of running with a non-typical buggy and a growing boy.

Fast forward to May 2024.

An email from the Sunshine Fund promoting their Sunshine Run 5K landed in my inbox.

Buggies welcome.

It was the spark I needed.

We signed up, pulled the running shoes back on, and rattled the fundraising tin once again. With a little over a month to train, we raised £670 and completed the 5K together in July. It wasn’t quick, and it wasn’t pretty — but it didn’t need to be. Joe loved the cheers at the finish, and that alone made every step worth it.

Since then, we’ve kept it up.

Through the summer of 2024, we got back into regular runs with our local, inclusive running club — who’ve been brilliant about welcoming us into their sessions.
We even returned to parkrun, ticking off a buggy PB at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, finally conquering both hills. Small victories that feel massive when you know the road you’ve travelled to get there.

Winter put the brakes on for a while (cold, wet conditions and buggy rides don’t mix well when you’re trying to keep things fun). But now, with the 2025 Sunshine Run on the horizon, we’re back building towards it — steadily, three to four runs a week, starting small and dreaming big.

Somewhere along the way, with your support, we’ve raised five figures for charities doing vital work: St Oswald’s Hospice, The Chronicle Sunshine Fund, Motor Neurone Disease Association, Action Duchenne, Tommy’s, Cancer Research UK — to name a few.

This comeback isn’t about chasing medals or setting records.

It’s about showing up.

It’s about proving to myself — and hopefully to a few others — that no matter how long the break, no matter how high the hurdles, you can always find a way back. One step at a time.

And if you ever find yourself thinking running is over once your child outgrows a standard buggy, feel free to reach out. We’re proof it doesn’t have to be.

Thanks for being part of the journey.

(And if you’ve got something you’re proud of lately — big or small — drop it in the comments. We should all celebrate our wins more often.)