‘Running has changed my life’ – fundraisers on their marathon motivation

More than 6,000 runners are preparing for the Yorkshire Marathon Festival, each with their own reason for taking part. Among them is Ellie Freer, who is running her first full marathon just over a year after surgery to repair a hole in her heart, hoping her story will encourage others to seek answers about their health.

Freer, 33, says she suffered repeated transient ischaemic attacks before the heart defect was identified, following years of uncertainty and several collapses. She is raising money for the Stroke Association UK and says running has helped her relationship with food as well as bringing her a community. Another participant, Eleanor Midgley, is running in memory of her daughter Molly, who died from a rare cancer in 2024; she hopes fundraising will support research.