Hi everyone, we are both running our very first marathon on Sunday 24th May this year.

We have decided that together we would like to raise money for two charities that mean a lot to us and any donations will be split equally between our two chosen charities - Wellbeing of Women and Asthma and Lung UK.

Below are our reasons for choosing these charities:

Ellie - Wellbeing of Women

As my family and close friends know, this last year has been exceedingly difficult with numerous health issues - many of which are still ongoing and have impacted every single part of my life. Training for the Edinburgh marathon is therefore one of the toughest physical and mental challenges I've ever undertaken.

However, despite the pain and long runs, training has been really beneficial for my mental health and has allowed me to have a bit of faith that my body will still allow me to do some of the things that came easily a few years ago. I have therefore decided to celebrate this and fundraise for a charity that is now incredibly close to my heart.

Wellbeing of Women provides money for research into the chronically underfunded area of gynaecological health including cancers, infertility, endometriosis and PCOS. So many areas of women's health remain unknown and are given chronic diagnoses with limited or no treatments. Donations are therefore vital to continue this research, helping to tackle the taboo surrounding women's health, and providing help for millions of women suffering from lifelong conditions which have a devastating impact on their lives.

Any donations would be massively appreciated.

Cat - Asthma and Lung UK

I've had severe asthma for my entire life, and it's held me back in so many ways. It's tried to take away my love of movement, my confidence and even tried to take my life when I was a child. But despite every one of its attempts to steal the joy from life, I've persevered and I'm alive today thanks to the life changing research by charities like Asthma & Lung UK.

So even though it's last minute, I'd be so incredibly grateful if you could support me on my ultimate "F you asthma" moment by running my first ever marathon.

We would both be immensely grateful for any donations - both in raising money for these two areas of research that mean a lot to us, but also in helping to motivate us during our final months of training and preparation.

Thank you - Ellie and Cat x