You might be thinking about running for Samaritans because you have lost a loved one to suicide. We wanted to let you know, you’re not alone.
Taking on a challenge like this and talking about why you’re running can bring up difficult emotions. It’s OK to feel this way; it is very common to go through a range of emotions during training and fundraising when your reason for running is so close to your heart.
You’ll have the support of your fellow #TeamSamaritans runners on the team’s Facebook group and the Samaritans Events team are always on hand to help with your training or fundraising worries.
We have free resources available if you’d like to raise awareness of Samaritans helpline services in your community, our communications team can support you to share your story if you’d like to, and our #TeamSamaritans updates will include health and wellbeing guidance for you too.
It doesn’t matter how fast you run or how far you go, you’re doing something extraordinary, and we’ll help you to take things at a pace that feels right for you, in memory of your special person.
“Samaritans helped my late brother James and our family, when we didn’t have the support anywhere else. I don’t know what we would have done without Samaritans. I will always be thankful to this amazing charity. Fundraising for Samaritans has helped my bereavement journey too – it gave me a focus. I know James would be so proud of me. It’s helped my journey of losing James. Something positive has come out of our loss. To anyone considering running the London Marathon for Samaritans, I’d say do it! It’s one of the best experiences of my life so far.”
Anna ran the TCS London Marathon in memory of her brother James.
Grief is complex, so while you’re thinking about signing up for the Marathon please make sure you look after yourself first. If you need emotional support, please remember that we are here to listen. You can call Samaritans free, day or night, on 116 123 or find other ways to speak to a Samaritan.
