Personal stories
Steve's marathon story
Steve tackles his first London Marathon for his daughter, Isabella, who was diagnosed with autism in 2023.
Steve tackles his first London Marathon for his daughter, Isabella, who was diagnosed with autism in 2023. Steve was a serving member of the UK Armed Forces on operations globally, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland. When things get tough, he draws on his discipline from his army background and plays mind games to help him push past mental barriers and get to the finish line.
Learn more about his motivations for taking part in the challenge and his advice for anyone who wants to run the London Marathon for Autistica.
Why did you take on this challenge?
Why did you take on this challenge?
I've always wanted to run the London Marathon but never had time due to work commitments. My four-year-old daughter is autistic, and I see her daily struggles when I come back from working abroad. So, I thought, if I do the London Marathon, I want to do it for a charity that supports autism. I find it commendable in the manner that Autistica carries out autism research that supports autistic people.
When I was younger, I used to look at the TV at my grandparents' house and watch the London Marathon. It's something I've always wanted to do. When I looked into running it myself, I thought it'd be a fantastic opportunity to support autism research. I get to do something I’ve always wanted to do: generate revenue to help with research and, most importantly, run it for my daughter.
Could you tell us about your daughter?
Isabella was diagnosed with autism about 12 months ago. Before her diagnosis, I never really knew much about it.
I work eight weeks away and four weeks home, so I'm away eight months of the year. Every time I come home, she needs time to get used to me being there. But then I'm away again for eight weeks. It's a constant change for her. I see how she struggles to deal with change.
I took my daughter to Disneyland in Florida last August, and thousands of people were there. In the first week, she was really struggling. She struggled with the change in routine, the crowds, and the different taste of milk. It took her a while to adjust. After the first week, she was settled, and then when we got back to the UK, it took another week to get settled again because of the transition.
Although Isabella struggles on a daily basis, she is such a happy little girl who loves to dance and have fun. She may be slightly different from other children but possesses many excellent qualities. I am tackling the London Marathon to raise awareness and funds to assist Autistica. By doing this, I am also directly supporting my young daughter and, hopefully, other autistic people.
And so why is autism research important to you?
I think it gets overlooked. I was guilty of that, as well, initially. You don't understand or you don't fully understand because it's not very widely advertised. People don't fully understand the challenges that autistic people have.
How has your military background helped you prepare for this challenge?
I think the discipline. If it's raining or the weather's not nice and you've got to get up, go for a run and get your miles in. I've been very disciplined with it. In the military, once you set yourself a goal, 99.9% of the time, you achieve it.
My wife has been quite surprised with how seriously I've taken training. She told me the other night it's been quite emotional because she's seen how hard I've worked and how much commitment I've put in. She knows I'm not just doing it for myself; I'm doing it to represent my daughter.
What's going to help keep you going when things get tough?
The marathon is probably 30% fitness and 70% mental strength. Obviously, during the marathon, everyone will hit that wall at some point. It doesn't matter how fit you are or how much training you've done. But then, as soon as I get close, I play mind games. I’ve used this in my training.
I’ll say to myself: “OK. I've got three miles left. I've got three children. To look after the first child, I've got to complete that mile. And the second for my second child, and the final mile for my youngest.” And that's what I do to fight through.
What would you say to anyone considering taking on a challenge for Autistica?
Remain committed and follow the training programme, but also have a personal reason why you want to do a challenge. It'd be very easy to skip a training day, and personal events interfere with your running schedule. But if you've got a good enough personal reason why you want to do it and then nothing will get in your way.
Thank you, Steve, for sharing your fundraising story. If you would like to, please donate to his fundraiser.