I have been around the running world for a long time, and mental health has been part of what I have written about almost from the beginning.

I have written about anxiety and depression, periods when running helped, periods when running became another source of pressure, race anxiety, burnout, and times when taking a break from training was the healthier decision. I wrote about stepping away from running during a difficult period and said something I still believe: running is great, but running is not therapy, and it is not interchangeable with professional help.

That is a huge reason I chose Still I Run for the London Marathon.

Still I Run approaches running and mental health in a way that lines up closely with what I have written about for years. The organization does not present running as a cure for mental illness. Instead, it uses running and movement to build community, create access, reduce stigma, and give people another resource for supporting their mental well-being.

I have had years when running was one of my favorite parts of the day, and I have had times when I needed to step away from it to mentally regroup. 

For the London Marathon, I am raising $6,500 for Still I Run. I won't lie, that minimum scares me and it is my biggest fundraising goal yet...but I feel strongly this is right choice for me. That money helps fund programs that provide running shoes, training resources, community programs, and mental-health education to people who may not otherwise have access to them.

After years of writing about both running and mental health, this charity felt like the right organization to fundraise for so when I got the oppertunity to run and fundraise, I couldn't turn it down.