A group from Nottinghamshire are running this year’s Nottingham Robin Hood Half Marathon with the shared objective of raising awareness of baby loss, breaking the stigma that surrounds it, and raising vital funds for Forever Stars.
Emma Morgan, Sarah Sutton, and Chris Marygold each have very personal reasons for running for
Forever Stars, which is an Official Charity Partner of the Robin Hood Half Marathon on 28 September –
one of Nottingham’s most iconic and loved sporting events – for the first time this year.
Running to raise money for Forever Stars is a 10-strong team, eight children taking on the Mini Half Marathon, and a team from Nelsons Solicitors taking part in the Corporate Challenge.
Meet three of our runners as they share their stories and the reasons behind their support for Forever Stars.
Emma Morgan
Emma and her wife Hayley have been on a heartbreaking fertility journey over the past few years, something she describes as “putting our hearts and souls into trying for a child”.
“Unfortunately, it’s led to a lot of heartbreak through failed IVF cycles and several miscarriages… It’s been utterly devastating and has honestly hit us so hard.”
To break some of the stigma and raise awareness around baby loss, Emma has decided to do what she says is “silly running” and will be running two half marathons in two weeks! First, the Robin Hood Half Marathon and then the Manchester Half.
Read Emma and Hayley’s story.
Chris Marygold
Like Emma, Chris Marygold has very personal reasons for running the Robin Hood Half Marathon for Forever Stars: “Our baby James was stillborn at 26 weeks in April 2017,” Chris says. “We received support and solace at the Serenity Suite at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), which was funded by Forever Stars. It was a quiet place where we could grieve and escape the sounds of newborn babies.”
Running helped Chris and his wife Cat get through the heartache and difficult time. The couple previously raised £4,000 for Forever Stars when, one year after losing James, Cat took on her own 100-mile running challenge for the charity.
“Signing up to run the Robin Hood Half Marathon this year has given me a reason to get back into running,” says Chris. “Not only is it an opportunity to again raise money for Forever Stars, it’s also a time to think about James and keep his memory alive, eight years since losing him.”
Read Cat and Chris’s story.
Sarah Sutton
Sarah, a full-time artist living in Castle Donington, is no stranger to running, but the Robin Hood Marathon will be her first half marathon in over eight years.
“Baby loss is not something I have been through personally. I first heard about Forever Stars through my sister Michelle, who volunteers for the charity.
I’ve run all sorts of distances, but I haven’t run an official half marathon since 2017, or been anywhere near as quick as I was then. Work, injuries and illness have all been good excuses to not get back into it, but really what I need is motivation, and running to raise money for Forever Stars is what it took to get that back.”
Read Sarah’s story.
Wishing the best of luck to all of our runners for the 28th of September!
If you’d like to learn more about volunteering for Forever Stars or register your interest for future marathon places, contact our team.
