Introducing our biggest ever TCS London Marathon team!

We are so proud to introduce our largest team of TCS London Marathon runners! They are an inspiring group of people who are lacing up for families with seriously ill children in hospital. 

Their dedication follows a recordbreaking year in 2025, where our marathon runners collectively raised an incredible £121,738. This phenomenal achievement has helped to keep thousands of families close to their children in hospital, providing comfort and stability during the toughest moments of their lives. 

With more runners than ever before and an extraordinary range of personal motivations, we’re hoping this year’s team can go even further. Every mile and every donation helps Ronald McDonald House Charities UK continue to provide “home away from home” accommodation for families across our 14 Houses. 

You can read about this incredible team of runners below.  

Will is running the marathon in honour of his baby boy, Reuben. Reuben was born at just 22 weeks and 6 days at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Those early months were incredibly tough, full of worry, hope, and countless hours by Reuben’s side. During that time, Ronald McDonald House Manchester became much more than accommodation for Will and his family. It was their steady base for almost eight months, giving them the space to stay close, rest properly, and focus entirely on Reuben. 

What stays with Will is not just the roof over their heads, but the small, thoughtful acts of support that made unbearable days a little easier. Being surrounded by staff and families who understood what they were going through made the House feel like a community, not just a place to sleep. 

Support Will here.  

Scarlett has dreamt of running the London Marathon since she was 16. After finally securing a place for 2025, she had to give it up because it clashed with her wedding, a tough decision after 15 years of trying! Now turning 30, she’s set herself the challenge of completing “30 things while I’m 30”, and running the marathon for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK sits proudly at the top of that list. 

Through her work with npower Business Solutions, she has visited several Houses and witnessed first-hand the sense of safety and community they offer. If she were ever in that position, she says, she would want that same support around her and she’s proud to help ensure it’s there for others. 

Fundraising is something she’s always thrown herself into wholeheartedly, from bake sales to raffles to physical challenges and taking on 26.2 miles in support of families going through the hardest moments of their lives feels like the most meaningful challenge yet. 

Support Scarlett here.  

Rebecca is running in memory of a close friend who passed away from Neuroblastoma. Ronald McDonald House Charity supported their family during treatment in America. Through her work she has also volunteered at one of our London Houses and is proud to step up for families across the UK.  

Support Rebecca here.  

Karenjeet’s brother Amrit was just 14 when he was admitted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital with sudden liver failure. What followed were eight long, frightening months, a time her family will never forget. Ronald McDonald House Birmingham became their refuge, giving them a place to stay close to Amrit’s bedside and moments of calm when everything felt overwhelming. 

What meant the most to Karenjeet was the sense of community inside the House. Families supported one another, shared stories, and found moments of light in the darkest days. She even began volunteering each week, making waffles for other families and finding comfort in helping others who understood exactly what she was going through. 

Amrit’s condition means he needs fulltime care and can no longer communicate as he once did. He remains the heart of their family and the reason Karenjeet is running. Since he can no longer tell his own story, she’s choosing to tell it for him through every mile. 

By running the marathon, Karenjeet hopes to raise £5,000 as a thank you to the House that held her family together, and to help other families facing the unimaginable stay close when it matters most. 

Support Karenjeet here. 

Thomas’s marathon journey is inspired by his nephew Joshua, who spent much of his life at Alder Hey Hospital. Thomas’s brother Jay, his wife Michelle and their daughter Amie live in Wales, so they were far from home during Joshua’s long stays and the uncertainty around his treatment made everything even harder. Ronald McDonald House Liverpool stepped in when the family needed it most, giving them a place to stay close to Joshua for as long as they needed. 

Joshua would have been 10 in 2026, and running the London Marathon feels like the perfect way for Thomas to honour his memory. He’s already supported Ronald McDonald House Charities UK before, and being offered a marathon place felt like the right moment to do something big, something filled with meaning and love. 

Support Thomas here.  

Stephen’s story is one of unimaginable loss, extraordinary love, and an unwavering commitment to helping other families going through their darkest days. He stayed at Ronald McDonald House Cardiff for a long period while his son, Jacob, was in hospital.  

Tragically, Jacob passed away in May 2024 but in the midst of their grief, his family channelled their love for Jacob into something powerful.  They set up the Jacob Crane Foundation, which has already donated more than £15,000 to the Cardiff House. Their support has helped sponsor three rooms, giving families facing their own medical crises a comforting space to stay close to their children. 

Support Stephen here.  

At the end of February 2025, Tilly’s baby niece Poppy became suddenly and seriously unwell and was admitted to the PICU at Southampton Hospital. She spent eight days in intensive care, four of those in an induced coma on life support and even suffered a collapsed lung. For Tilly and her family, those days were long, overwhelming and filled with fear.

Ronald McDonald House Southampton became their anchor and a warm, calm space where her brother and sister‑in‑law could stay just minutes from the PICU, close enough to rush to Poppy’s bedside at any hour. It allowed the whole family to be together, to cook meals, to sit down for moments of normality, and to lean on one another while everything else felt so uncertain.

With Poppy now thankfully recovered and doing much better, Tilly feels incredibly grateful and deeply motivated to give something back. She’s even designed two children’s prints as part of her fundraising, donating £10 from each sale. It’s a small, creative way of sharing joy after such a frightening chapter, and of helping support the charity that held her family together.

Support Tilly here.

In 2020 and again in 2021, James’ young son Rupert became critically unwell and needed urgent, lifesaving care far from home. Both times, the family’s world turned upside down, first spending Christmas at the John Radcliffe Hospital during lockdown, and then facing weeks of uncertainty in Southampton, where Rupert was placed on life support for more than two weeks. 

What James remembers most isn’t just the fear of those days, but the relief of being kept close to Rupert when it mattered most. Instead of long journeys, sleeping in chairs, or being separated from one another, they were able to cook a meal, take a breath, gather strength and then go straight back to Rupert whenever he needed them. 

Every mile is a thank you for the kindness shown to his family, a celebration of Rupert’s remarkable progress, and a chance to help another family stay together through the hardest days of their lives. 

Support James here.  

Shelley’s family stayed at the Camberwell House for more than a year while her nephew was treated at King’s College Hospital. She runs in gratitude for the comfort and stability the House provided. 

Support Shelley here.  

Fabio, is as an Operations Director at Pilgrim’s Europe, a supplier to McDonalds. Running with a group of his colleagues, he and his team are each hoping to raise £5,000, a goal they’ve embraced with real passion.  Alongside this incredible personal goal, Pilgrim’s are hoping to raise £50,000 through their partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities UK this year.  

Support Fabio here.  

Each of these extraordinary individuals brings a powerful personal story to the starting line. Together, they represent families, communities, and experiences from across the UK. Every one of them is running to ensure future families can stay close to their children in hospital. 

We are incredibly proud of our 2026 team and can’t wait to cheer them on. 

With their help and yours we hope to make 2026 another recordbreaking year! 

If you’ve been inspired by this wonderful group of people, why not take a look at our Challenge Events.