Banbury woman to take on marathon challenge after being inspired by niece

Michelle Jones hopes to raise money and awareness for the British Heart Foundation when she takes on the famous race.

Although new to long-distance running, Michelle will take inspiration from her niece Eleanor to get through the painful moments.

Michelle said: “It will be very tough, but I can do it for my niece Eleanor, who was born with two holes in her heart, which were not picked up on any scans or found until later.

“Thankfully, she was fortunate to be a bigger baby, which helped her when she had initial weight loss. If she were lighter, she would have been in a critical condition.

“Eleanor has managed to not have to need any operations, but she is always cautious, knowing she has a heart condition.

“Ellie is now 16 and is due to have her adult checks to find out how her body is coping and whether or not she will need to have an operation in the future.”

For training, Michelle says she has completed several Banbury parkruns and built her mileage up to the half marathon distance.

Speaking about her niece and the good work the British Heart Foundation does, Michelle said: “Ellie is an inspiration to me, and I’m very proud to see how far she has come.

“The British Heart Foundation does wonders, and so much more research has been done in the nearly 17 years since she was born; they have helped so many families and continue to do so with better technology and treatments.

“They are such an amazing charity that I am proud to be doing the London Marathon to help raise awareness and, while I’m at it, collecting sponsorship to keep their already hard-working team pushing for better care support and treatment.”

This year’s London Marathon is the 45th edition and is set to be the biggest to date, with more than 56,000 people expected to take part.

For more information or to donate to Michelle’s fundraiser, visit: https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/michelle-jones-5b71d