Will’s reasons for running the Berlin Marathon
Will, 28, is taking part in his first marathon in Berlin as part of a year-long series of fundraising challenges to raise vital funds for The Brain Tumour Charity.
A life-long runner, whose dad and brother were sprinters and whose grandad had bookshelves lined with long distance running trophies, Will set himself the challenge of completing seven fundraising challenges during 2025. He was inspired to fundraise after his wife Tasha’s uncle was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma in November 2024.
Will said: “As an indirect member of the family, I felt there was so little I could say or do to help. But I can do this, and Ian asked that all donations go to The Brain Tumour Charity.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by the level of support I’ve received – from those cheering me on or taking part in events with me to employer, Barclays, matching contributions by donating £1161.24.”
In January, Will completed the Knutsford 10K – just before getting married to Tasha.
Since then he has completed the Media City Half Marathon in Salford (pictured), the Peak District 53km challenge, the National Three Peaks challenge and the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.
The Berlin Marathon takes place on September 21st and Will’s year of running challenges is set to end on October 12th with Manchester Half Marathon.
Catherine: Inspired by her dad
Young Ambassador Catherine Hogan, 25, from London, is a keen runner who completed the London Landmarks Half Marathon in April 2024 and raised £2,400 for us.
Her father, Tim, had previously been diagnosed with a glioblastoma and he sadly died on 24 November 2024
Now she’s doubling the distance she’ll run and doubling her fundraising target too – aiming to raise £5000 towards the research we fund, and the support services we offer to anyone affected by a diagnosis.
Catherine said: “Some of my dad’s best qualities were his determination and resilience. I saw him fight his illness day in, day out and he always inspired me to keep going, and be the healthiest, happiest version of myself. I am channelling the resilience he passed down to me with a 16-week training block for my first marathon. I’m so grateful for what I’ve learnt from him. I want to show him how strong I’ve become.
“It is a real privilege to be able to run the Berlin Marathon for such an important cause, to give back to a charity that does life-saving work and to run with my dad’s spirit within me.”
The Charity is currently funding 24 active projects around the world that involve glioblastoma research to a value of £16.5 million.
Catherine added: “My family is continually grateful for the information and services that have been provided by the charity, including their online resources, which provide comfort and support, and their counselling services, which help people with lived experience or who care for loved ones with brain tumours.”
You can follow Catherine’s running journey to Berlin Marathon on Instagram and find out more on her fundraising page here.
‘When life changes your face, your path or your pace… you keep moving.’ ~ Nicole
Nicole Cutler’s life “changed overnight” when she was diagnosed with a large acoustic neuroma in August 2021 at the age of 23.
Medics think the tumour may have been there for more than 15 years. Treatment included several brain surgeries – the first of which took 10 hours and left her with facial paralysis and permanent hearing loss in her right ear.
She had to learn to walk, smile and chew again. But through it all, she’s been determined to keep running which she describes as her lifeline.
Having completed Boston, Chicago, London and New York City marathons, Nicole is running the Berlin Marathon on 21 September before taking on Tokyo in 2026.
Nicole said: “I spent weeks in hospital and months in intensive rehab. After each brain surgery, I’ve had to relearn the most basic parts of life – the things people rarely think twice about like how to chew, how to smile, how to laugh, how to shut my eye, how to live being half-deaf… and even how to walk again. Every step forward has been hard-earned. But through it all, I kept running.”
Her second emergency brain surgery was in February 2024 and this time, she knew there was a risk of permanent damage. Sure enough, she sadly lost mobility in half her face. The next operation was to help rebuild her smile.
Nicole explained: “In August 2024, I underwent a major nerve graft – surgery on both my face and leg. Doctors removed the sensation nerve from my left foot and leg and put it in my face. That also meant learning to walk again, this time, with new limitations.”
Nicole says her experience has been ‘brutal’ but running has become her lifeline – a way of reclaiming some kind of control.
She described the New York City Marathon as her comeback race. It was, she says: “proof that even when life changes your face, your path, or your pace… you keep moving.”
She added: “I may never get my full smile back, but I’m learning to smile fully with my heart. And with each procedure, each mile, and each moment, I’m slowly, steadily working to bring back what was lost.”
Nicole says she’s running for the entire brain tumour community: “for patients facing impossible decisions, for survivors rebuilding their lives, for researchers fighting for a cure, and for families who’ve lost someone they love. I’m fighting for all of us.”
“Your support helps fund life-saving research, expand support services, and move us closer to a world where a brain tumour diagnosis no longer means fear, isolation, or loss.”
You can find out more on Nicole’s fundraising page here and we’d like to wish all our challenge event participants the best of luck in their endeavours. We are hugely grateful to every single one of you.
Do you want to take on an event like the Berlin Marathon for charity?
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