“I've run one of the greatest marathons in the world and for such an incredible cause”

Overwhelming emotions met the 2026 London Marathon runners, who raised awareness of macular disease as well as tens of thousands of pounds for research and support.

Among those running with their yellow Macular Society t-shirts were Lucy, Sophie and Lauren.

Lucy, who was diagnosed with macular oedema four years ago, was inspired to run the London Marathon not only for herself, but for all those affected by macular disease.

Pride in running the London Marathon

“If somebody had said to me five years ago, ‘you will run the London Marathon’, I don't think I would have believed them,” she said.

Lucy turned to running after trying to come to terms with her sight condition, and in its own way, running has become a therapy for the 38-year-old musician.

After finishing her first full marathon, Lucy said: “I'm sitting here now thinking, I've done it. I've run one of the greatest marathons in the world and done it for such an incredible cause as well. I feel so proud of myself and all of the people who ran for the Macular Society, their own causes, or just for themselves.

“There were so many different emotions, it was really quite overwhelming but it was a really beautiful day. I burst into tears at the finish line, but I was so happy.

“The race was tough but I thought ‘so am I’. Just knowing how many people were behind me, tracking me on the app and had wished me good luck, so knowing how many people had faith in me that kept me going to the finish line.”

Mum-of-two Sophie took on the 26.2-mile race after her son Jay was diagnosed with Stargardt disease two years ago, aged 14.

Sophie, from Surrey, said: “I was sobbing the last couple of miles. I felt really emotional knowing I was nearing the end of the race. I saw my family along Embankment, with my husband wearing his Macular Society top, my son and daughter there too, and the Macular Society staff and that was really lovely. After that I was like ‘I’m ready now’ and I pushed on. 

“It was very emotional at the finish line, suddenly it just hits you, what you’ve done and why you’ve done it, but it was a great feeling.”

The impact of counselling

After facing a wave of information about Stargardt disease, the 47-year-old “spiralled” but she went on to receive counselling from the Macular Society, to help her understand, as a parent, what her son could face, and how she could help him.

Grateful for the advice and support she received, Sophie wanted to give back.

Sophie said: “My son is an inspiration, as has been the Macular Society. Through counselling, it gave me a space to process Jay’s diagnosis, and when the charity rang me to say I had received my London Marathon place, it was a year to the day since we had first been told about Stargardt disease. I think I was meant to be at that marathon, everything came full circle, if you like, and it was my time to go and do something as a way of saying thank you.”

Optometrist Lauren made the near 1,000-mile-round trip to the capital from Dundee. 

She said: “It was just incredible. The atmosphere was amazing. There's nothing quite like it. My training had been seven sessions a week for many weeks but it was well worth it.

“I dug deep for the last bit and I got the time I aimed for so it was incredible. At the end, it was euphoric really. It was just so much fun and the support from the crowd was amazing.”

Finding a cure for macular disease

Not only has she seen the impact of macular disease on her patients, but also on family members including her gran, Margaret, who has both wet and dry age-related macular degeneration.

With that in mind throughout the race, 28-year-old Lauren has been dedicated to raising funds for vital macular research.

She said: “It felt good to be able to contribute something towards research, because the Macular Society is one of the only charities that's really working towards a cure, which is the main thing that's needed, as well as help its support services. My gran attends the Macular Society support group in Irvine and finds it beneficial and likes speaking to other people who understand what she’s going through.

“Her vision is now really very poor, she’s registered sight impaired (SI), and we’ve noticed how she can’t read anymore, she can’t watch TV, and has lost a lot of hobbies that she used to do, although she knits and uses muscle memory to knit some really intricate things and she enjoys that.

“It’s sad to see, I feel helpless so finding a cure is the ultimate goal, and I’d like to see that in my lifetime."

Thank you to everyone who played their part in the 2026 London Marathon to Beat Macular Disease.