A runner recently finished 36 marathons in 36 days despite being told she wouldn’t live past 16 years old. 32-year-old fitness coach Sophie Holmes set a record when she finished the Edinburgh Marathon. Holmes, who has cystic fibroids, has now raised £25,000 from the challenge, which started with the London Marathon. She’s the first person with the disease to do 36 marathons in 36 days. Cystic fibrosis causes mucus in the lungs, and at four months old, doctors said Holmes, from Southend, Essex, wouldn’t live past 16 years old.
She said, “My determination to survive and thrive and to defy the odds has been born probably from as young as I can remember. When I turned 19, I was unfortunately told I only had two years to live. But the naive 19-year-old me wasn’t going to let that happen. So, I started chasing after these big goals. When I then started to get better, they were like, maybe you won’t make 30. So when I turned 30, I decided I wanted to celebrate by running 30 marathons in 30 days. But at the time, we were in lockdown, so it wasn’t something that was possible.”
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She continued, “Last year, I got into London for this year and the Edinburgh Marathon and the idea was reborn because I was like, ‘I wonder how many days are between both of these races?’ I first calculated it as 35. So I started telling everyone that I was going to run 35 marathons in 35 days, and then my coach recounted the days and said, ‘well, actually we are going be running 36.’” Cystic fibrosis is a condition that affects the lungs and digestive system. The lungs particularly become clogged with thick, sticky mucus. It can lead to breathing problems and trouble digesting food. In most cases, the condition is diagnosed in childhood.
Over the years, a person’s lungs are damaged to the extent that they can stop working properly. In 2016, cystic fibrosis claimed the life of campaigner Kirstie Tancock, who inspired many to become organ donors. More recently, in 2022, ex-CBBC star Chelsie Whibley lost her life to cystic fibrosis.