Hayley and her sister Megan are running the London Marathon in honour of their brother Laurie, who never got the chance to after he took his own life
Sisters will be running the London Marathon this Sunday (April 26) in honour of their brother, who applied for years but never got the chance to take part before his death. Hayley Adams and her sister Megan will be running the marathon this weekend in memory of their brother, Laurie.
He had always wanted to run the marathon but had never managed to get a place. In February 2025, Laurie took his own life, to the surprise and shock of his family, who said they never knew anything was wrong.
Hayley told MyLondon: “It was a massive shock. None of us knew he was struggling. He didn’t reach out, and that was the sad thing. We are a close family of five.
“My sister and I decided that we wanted to run the marathon in honour of him. He always applied every year and never got one. He was a keen runner and always said he would run the London Marathon one day. Because he never got to do it, we were watching it last year, and I said, ‘Why don’t we try to run it?’
“We didn’t get a ballot place, so we looked for a charity, and that’s why we picked Samaritans, because they are more involved in suicide prevention. We knew it had to be the London Marathon because that’s what Laurie had always wanted to do.
“He’d be so shocked and would have laughed at the idea of me running the marathon, but I know he would be so proud of both of us. I’ve got a ring with his ashes that I’ll be wearing as well as his Apple watch as we’re running.”
After Laurie’s passing, the sisters decided to run for Samaritans. Samaritans is the charity that aims to prevent suicide through the ‘power of human connection’. They connect people in crisis with trained volunteers who are always there to listen. The sisters will run the 26.2-mile race in charity tank tops featuring a photo of Laurie. So far, they have raised £3,127 of their £5,000 target.
This will be Hayley and Megan’s first time running a marathon, and the experience has been eye-opening for them regarding their preparation and expectations. Hayley added: “Laurie always used to banter us. He was shy, but once you got to know him, he was probably the loudest person in the room. He would do anything for you.
“Megan plays football and is quite fit, but even our parents were quite shocked that we were doing it. They’ve been great. The whole family has helped us with fundraising nights for the charity and the marathon. I think he would be proud of us, but I know his initial reaction would have been to laugh.
“I imagine I will cry the whole time I’m running. I think there will be a lot of emotion on the day. Having my sister with me will help me cross the finish line, and that will definitely spur us both on. Samaritans was important to us because we wanted to help other people not go through what we went through, because their message is suicide prevention. All the money that goes to help, and if it can help one family avoid what we went through and [somebody] continue to live, it’s [the marathon] worthwhile.
“Since Laurie’s passing, we want people to know there are people at the end of the phone who can help. And it may be easier to speak to a stranger than someone that you know. I’ve only ever watched the marathon, and I’m sure it’s going to be very overwhelming. I’m weirdly looking forward to it, but I’ve heard it’s an amazing day, especially with the support you get from the crowd.”
You can donate to Hayley’s fundraiser here.
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