Marie is running The Big Half on 7 September 2025 to raise money for Beat SCAD. She was a fit and healthy 40-year-old and a regular runner when she had a SCAD in May 2023.
She went to A&E and, following blood tests and a long wait, she decided to go home as she had a young child. Later that evening she had a call telling her the results of the blood test indicated she’d had a heart attack, so she went back in. A couple of days after she was discharged, she had another heart attack.
“What followed was a long journey of recovery. In the early days I couldn’t sleep for fear of having a heart attack and I think, for me, the not knowing why it happened made it hard to accept and move on. I suffered with PTSD, anxiety, I became a hermit and I quit my job to give myself time to heal.”
Marie slowly recovered and in January 2024 went back to work. She also started her running journey again, going on her first run in March 2024.
She said: “I really wanted to run the Big Half for Beat SCAD because it was the charity and the Facebook patient group that gave me so much knowledge to learn about the condition and supported me on my recovery. I think it is so vital to spread awareness and invest in new literature and research centres.”
Marie added: “My half isn’t until September I’m not fully in training mode yet, but I am working on my weekly running routine to ensure I’m set up for success. As part of my fundraising, I have a cake run planned for February and a charity pizza night in May.”
Read more about Marie’s SCAD story here.
Please support Marie by donating on her fundraising page
