Couch to 5k to Ultramarathon: Gratitude Drives Miranda’s 50-mile Charity Challenge
KPI’s Education Recruitment Consultant, Miranda Wells, has a compelling story that has everything: adversity, sadness, heartbreak, but deep gratitude for everything she has. Miranda has taken everything life has thrown at her and used it to empower her. The result: a steely determination, resilience and positivity; forces that are stronger than anything else in Miranda's life.
Her story, in her words, follows:
“5 years have passed since the COVID pandemic – a crazy thought as it seems like so long ago now, but I also remember it as if it was yesterday. I remember during lockdown thinking to myself this is a really good time to begin training for something, given all the free time.
5km became 10km, 10km became 10 miles and it increased from there. I ran my first half-marathon in March 2021 and raised £750 for MS Revive, an amazing charity that supports my mum on a weekly basis. She has unfortunately had the disease since she was 25, the age I am now, but she remains one of the most positive and supportive people in my life.
“Mental health struggles”
After some struggles with my mental health the following year, I thought I’d sign up to the Edinburgh marathon in May 2022 as I remembered how good running made me feel. The thought of having something to train for also kept me going day-to-day. However, in the end I didn’t train enough and injured my knee halfway through which led to me basically having to gallop for 13 miles, which added an hour onto my expected time… it was tough to say the least but the tunes and the thought of a pint at the end kept me going! I raised another £600 but said to myself ‘never again’.
“Running is a bit addictive”
However, running is definitely a bit addictive and I didn't stick to my word. In March 2023, I ran my first ultramarathon of 50km and raised £650. After my marathon, I learned the dos and don’ts of long distance running and trained a bit more this time round. I managed this in 5 hours 45 minutes which I was pretty pleased with. I did it on my own, from my family home in Cambuslang up to Luss near Loch Lomond and the views towards the end made it so worth it, and the feeling I had once I had finished remains unmatched.
“Being able bodied is the biggest blessing”
Running this far is not easy; your body is aching after a while and there is nothing physically stopping you if you wanted to give up and call it a day. But being able bodied really is the biggest blessing there is, and I want to utilize that while I can. I think about life when I’m running and it reminds me that despite going through some difficult times in the past, I am still here and I am capable of achieving my goals. I also think of my mum and dad, how lucky I am to have them and how I would do anything I can to support them. This is why I am running the Manchester to Liverpool 50-mile ultramarathon on 18th April 2025 for MS Revive and Myeloma UK.
“Life is unfair – just make the most of it”
If you’d told me I’d be doing this at the time I was doing my couch to 5k in lockdown, I’d think I was crazy, but lockdown was also around the time that my dad got diagnosed with myeloma - an incurable blood cancer - which is something I think about often and wish wasn’t true. Combined with the effects of the pandemic, that year made me realize that life is unfair and anything can happen to anyone at any time. The only thing you can do is make the most of it, make yourself and others proud whenever you can.
Any donations would mean the world to me and my family!”
