I’ve ran marathons before but never two in two weeks of each other so I’m feeling on top of the world, hence the “I’m invincible” attitude. So obviously like any other runner out there still buzzing from the adrenaline and endorphins I start looking for my next challenge.

Around about the same Team GB wheelchair rugby (Team GBWR) were facing funding cuts and despite appeals they did in fact lose all funding. In spite of this Team GBWR remain committed to providing their athletes with the opportunity to take part in the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020. To achieve this they need to raise around £2m pounds over the next 3 years.

I felt guilty somehow, I’m on my highest of highs and a team full of athletes are being knocked down. I couldn’t imagine training hard, making it onto a national team and then potentially getting all that taken away purely for financial reasons. A lot of these players have already faced and overcome adversity surely they shouldn’t have to fight to play and compete in a sport they love. I was annoyed. But then ding …. my lightbulb moment occurred. Why don’t I do what I love to help others keep doing what they enjoy?? Why don’t I run every day for a month, no wait a year?!

But hold up, why is wheelchair rugby so important to an able bodied athlete (and I use the word athlete in the loosest of ways here)? Well let’s rewind 10 years to 2008. It’s my first year at uni, its January, its early.

And then it happened. The phone call that changed mine and my family’s life. It was my mam calling to tell me my younger brother, Jack, had been involved in an accident during his rugby match and had broken his neck. The prognosis wasn’t good, paralysis. Absolutely devastating for anyone to go through, but imagine being only 16 and an extremely active and sporty teen. Luckily my brother is incredible, I honestly don’t know how he coped with it all, I would have been a mess. And thank god for wheelchair rugby. The light at the end of the tunnel. Yes his life was changed forever but he’s got the opportunity to still participate in sport. So yeah, now do you see why wheelchair rugby is close to my heart?

Jump back to spring 2017. I announced my challenge and set the rules, to run a minimum of 5k (3.1 miles) a day for a year starting on the July 1st. If I miss a day because I’m too tired/ hungover/ lazy etc. I’ll to pay a fine of £5. Then it dawned on me, the first day would fall on the last day of a week-long hen party in Ibiza, great timing, could I setting myself up to fail at the first hurdle?? Luckily I cleared that hurdle, albeit with a slightly fuzz head, and enjoyed my first run of #mollyruns365. The challenge was on.

The days turned into weeks and weeks into months. The miles really started to rack up. Averaging about 40 miles I saw my fitness improve and my times getting faster. I also started to see the money rolling in. Thank you to everyone who donated.

As I mentioned earlier the challenge was to run a minimum of 5k a day, but me being me I decided I would throw in a few half marathons, full marathons and oh yeah my first ever ultra-marathon!! I think I may have gone mad. But the more I ran the more I wanted to run. It’s like a drug.

Again the days and weeks ticked by, I set new PBs for 1 mile, 5k, 10k and half marathon. All was going great until .... knee gate. I’d made it to day 270 and with only 18 days until the Brighton marathon I headed out at 5am in the pouring rain for a 4 mile hill session. All was going well until 2 miles into the session I fell. I still to this day do not know how or why I managed to go down but I did. Lying there in my confused state on the cold wet floor I looked down to assess the damage. I’m no doctor but I’m pretty sure you’re not meant to be able to see your own knee cap! I grab the wound to try and stop the bleeding. Deep breath, I’m just being over dramatic, surely a little graze hasn’t gone all the way down to the bone? Slowly I let go to look again. I’m not being dramatic I really have just seen bone. 999 ambulance please.

I needed stitches, 9 to be precise; they would need to be in for 14 days. I couldn’t even bend my knee never mind run. I couldn’t complete my challenge, I couldn’t run Brighton, my first ever ultra-marathon was probably out of the picture too. To say I was devastated is the biggest understatement ever. I felt sick and couldn’t hold back the tears. But thanks to a brilliant idea one of friends gave me the run 365 challenge could live on. Every day my friends, family, work colleagues and complete strangers from all over the world who only know me through Instagram stepped up and ran for me. Runners from around the world were using #mollyruns365 and #saveGBWR to gift me a run to help keep the run streak going. The support I got was overwhelming, and a fantastic distraction from the shear frustration of not being able to run. The support for Team GBWR also got a boost. My injury meant more people were seeing my posts and then either donating or helping to spread the word that Team GBWR need our help.

18 days with no running felt like a lifetime. But luckily the support and donations for Team GBWR kept coming. Whether it was the alcohol or just my pure stubbornness I decided I was ready to run again. April 15th, the morning of the marathon, I’m going to try a little run. It was not easy, it definitely was not pretty (have you ever seen someone ‘run’ when they can’t bend they knee, not good), it hurt, I was so unfit, but I was back!!!! I have never been so grateful for a run.

My recovered continued, my fitness returned and my pace began to improve again. When it hurt and when I felt like giving up all I had to do was remember why I started this crazy run 365 challenge and the motivation to keep going was there in an instant. I managed to get fit enough in time to attempt my first ultra. 64 miles from London to Brighton. It was hard but equally amazing. And yes I got up and ran again the very next morning. That was tough. But like Team GBWR I may have faced knock backs but I will always come back fighting. We will not quit!

The #mollyruns365 challenge has seen me run well over 2,100 miles, the equivalent of running from Newcastle to London over seven times. I have also managed to raise over £4,100 for Team GBWR. If anyone would like to donate please follow the link to my JustGiving page

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/molly-runs-365

Team GBWR and I are beyond grateful for all donations.