Tiffany Clancy-Toomey

I’m running the London Marathon 2026 in memory of my mum!

On 2nd January 2024, just one day into what was supposed to be the most amazing year of my life, my mum died suddenly after suffering a respiratory arrest. We had just celebrated the New Year together, excited and full of hope, especially with my wedding planned for 2nd June (5 months later) a day we had spent countless hours talking about, dreaming of, and planning. But everything changed in an instant.

We were on a Caribbean cruise, the holiday of a lifetime. But instead of memories filled with sunshine and celebration, it became the darkest moment of my life. My mum, only 66 years old, went into sudden respiratory arrest. It was traumatic, heartbreaking, and a memory I will carry forever.

In the months that followed, I had to do something no daughter should ever have to: plan a wedding and a funeral side by side. I walked down the church aisle carrying my mum’s coffin when she should have been waiting at the front of my wedding aisle, full of pride and joy, ready to see me begin a new chapter of my life. Her absence was, and still is, overwhelming.

I’m running this marathon in honour of my incredible mum who passed away from the effects of COPD and to raise awareness of the devastating impact of lung conditions. These illnesses are so often misunderstood or overlooked, and they affect far more people than we realise. No family should have to experience the pain of losing a loved one to a lung condition that might have been prevented, better treated, or more widely understood.

Through this run, I want to help fund vital research, support services, education  and ultimately help prevent other families from going through the same pain that mine has. If I can help even one family avoid the heartbreak I’ve endured, then every mile will be worth it.

This run is for my mum and for everyone still fighting to breathe. Her loss is felt in every moment, and in every step I take, I will carry her memory.

It's my way of turning grief into purpose and love into action.