This Run is for Her — and for Hope

In 2010, I was diagnosed with anorexia. What followed were some of the hardest years of my life, countless hospital stays, four stints in residential care, and relying on tube-feeding to survive. I was told that full recovery wasn’t possible, that I would need to learn to “manage” my illness for the rest of my life.

But I refused to believe that would be my story.

Through years of support from loved ones, therapy, setbacks, and small victories, I began to rebuild my relationship with food, movement, and my body. This November, when I line up at the start of the Queenstown Marathon, it will mark three years since I required any medical intervention for an eating disorder, something I once thought would never be possible.

Running has become a way for me to celebrate what my body can do, rather than punish it for what it’s not. Every step reminds me of how far I’ve come, from fighting to stay alive, to running towards freedom and health.

I’m running this marathon to raise funds for Voices of Hope, a charity doing incredible work in the eating disorder space, creating awareness, providing education, and offering hope to those still in the thick of it. Their message, that recovery is possible, has never felt more personal to me.

If my story can remind even one person that healing is possible, or help Voices of Hope continue their life-changing work, then every kilometre will be worth it.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for supporting a cause that truly saves lives. 💜