At nightfall on May 14th 2011, we took part in Walk the Walk’s MoonWalk – a moonlit marathon across London created by Walk the Walk to raise money to support research into breast cancer and to help those currently suffering from cancer.

The MoonWalk was our way to earn money for breast cancer charities and a little kudos for ourselves too. (I think Sally also wanted to prove that, at 60, she’s still got it!)

We trained most weekends in the months leading up to the walk and I made a holiday to Egypt count by climbing Mount Sinai. The longest walk we did was a 17-mile trek around East Sussex and Surrey.

Before we knew it we were at the start line in Hyde Park, waving our banners and wearing our bras, with 26 miles ahead of us. After one circuit of Hyde Park I had already started on my chocolate supply!

The roads hadn’t been closed, so there was some stopping and starting while organisers and police directed us through the traffic. It went from hot to cold quite quickly if you were at a standstill and at mile seven a girl in front of me passed out and had to be stretchered off – not the most encouraging moment of the walk.

As we made our way over Tower Bridge and up the South Bank it felt slow and the mile markers didn’t pass quickly enough. The sun had risen by the time we reached Battersea Park which provided some relief and a false sense of renewed energy. At mile 22 we were outside the Tate, where my boyfriend and his father greeted us with hot coffee. Renewed and re-energised, we continued on to the finish line together, finally crossing it at 9am.

Blisters and it being night time aside, mentally it was pretty tough. But it was so encouraging seeing people with their ‘in loving memory’ signs and hearing whispers of, ‘mum would be really proud of you’. All of us had known someone who had suffered with breast cancer and you couldn’t help but reflect.

Nine hours after we’d begun, we decided that it was tough, but not as tough as having cancer.


If you are interested in taking part in similar events, you can register as a fundraiser on the Charity Choice website. Get walking!

This article first appeared in Charity Choice magazine Issue 6 2011.