My biggest challenge hasn’t been running a marathon - it’s been battling toxic air.

I started cycling to work when I moved to London at the age of 20 because I couldn’t afford the tube. I was cycling about ten miles there and back again every day. I kept getting short of breath and I felt so tired during the day. I was fairly fit and led a healthy lifestyle, so I couldn’t understand why. After work seemed to be worse because there was just so much traffic. 

My mum knew there was something wrong

My mum came to stay with me overnight and she was really worried about me. She said ‘There’s something wrong with your breathing. It sounds really laboured and like you’re missing breaths - just like when you were a child and had an asthma attack’. 

So I went to see a nurse and found out my asthma had flared up again. 

I hadn’t been coughing or wheezing, so my symptoms were more difficult to recognise. I now have to take a preventer inhaler with a high dose of steroids morning and night, and a reliever inhaler when I have breathing difficulties. 

Toxic air has made it harder to breathe 

I’m 100% convinced that my asthma has got worse because of all the air pollution in London. 

During the Covid lockdowns, I would use my permitted hour of exercise to cycle around the city centre and because there were hardly any cars on the roads, I wouldn’t get out of breath at all. 

That’s also when I started running. I did the Couch to 5k programme. I never had an asthma attack at all during those lockdowns. My lungs had never been better. 

Now though, when I go out running or walking my dog, I’m very aware of how many cars are in standstill traffic. I can really feel that air pollution making it more difficult for me to breathe. 

My most severe asthma attack 

After working remotely during the pandemic, I started cycling into the office two days a week and I began struggling to breathe again. Shortly afterwards, I had my most severe asthma attack. 

It was a summer evening, and it had been really hot, so we’d had the windows open all day. I wasn’t feeling well and I went to bed early, but I just couldn’t find a position where I could breathe fully. 

I took my reliever inhaler and used my spacer, but nothing was improving. I went to tell my partner that I was having an asthma attack, but he hadn’t dealt with one before and just didn’t know what to do to help me. It was terrifying. 

Eventually, my partner called 999 and an ambulance took me to hospital. I spent the night in A&E, but when I could finally go home I was unable to get a GP appointment for an asthma review within 48 hours, as I’d been advised. 

Vital support from Asthma + Lung UK 

Fortunately, I went online, discovered Asthma + Lung UK’s helpline and was able to speak to one of your nurses straight away. I was so grateful for this support I decided to raise funds for your charity by joining Team Breathe in the London Marathon. 

I put months of training in to prepare for the marathon. I was very careful to avoid air pollution as much as possible during my training – running early in the morning when levels tend to be lower, staying away from high traffic areas, and taking my reliever inhaler with me wherever I went. 

I was in tears when I crossed the finish line

But then I received a calf injury just a few days before the event which almost forced me to pull out. 

I was desperate to take part though because this would be my third and final challenge in the London Classics. I had already completed the RideLondon 100-mile cycling event and the two-mile Swim Serpentine challenge last year. 

I just couldn’t miss running in the London Marathon. I had trained for so long for this race, and my family and friends were all coming to cheer me on. 

I was in tears when I crossed the finishing line. I just couldn’t believe I’d done it. My mum found me at the end, and we just hugged and cried together.  

We need to raise awareness of the risks of air pollution 

Lots of people just don’t realise the harmful effects of air pollution, especially for people with asthma, so it can feel like you’re fighting on your own sometimes. 

That’s why it has been so special to be part of Asthma + Lung UK’s Team Breathe, because so many of us have similar struggles and we’ve really supported each other. 

To find out more about the impact of air pollution on all our lives visit our Clean Air Campaigns Hub.