Christiane, 29, lives in North London. She completed the 2026 London Marathon to raise funds for Sense – but her original motivation was to show her sister, Thea Marie, 27, who has Down’s syndrome, that she’s capable of achieving difficult things. Christiane spoke to us:

My sister, Thea Marie

I was three when my sister Thea Marie was born, and since then she’s just meant everything to me.

She’s taught me so much about accepting other people as they are and how difficult it can be for them. I am very lucky to be able to do everything I want, really, because she has taught me that it is not a given.

She is probably the happiest person you will ever meet. She has Down’s syndrome and just makes people’s days better.

She means everything to me and has made me the person I am today. It’s amazing to have a sibling with Down’s syndrome. They bring you so much joy in life, and I couldn’t ask for anything better, really.

I think, in the back of my head, I was always doing it for her. To show her that I could do difficult things and that anyone, including her, can really do any difficult things as long as you work hard.

During my training, Thea Marie called me while I was out on long runs, and I would just be talking to her and telling her I was out running, and she would go “You can do this. You’re amazing. I’m proud of you.”

You wouldn’t think that like tiny words like that mean so much, but when she says it, it means the world.

A special moment

Everything was going to plan until mile 12, when I twisted my ankle and could barely walk. But I knew Thea Marie was waiting for me at mile 24. I knew she had been waiting all day, and she would have been very disappointed if she didn’t see me.

So, I just HAD to get there, and after miles of running, walking and hobbling, I saw her, and all the pain went away.

We shared a brief yet special moment; there was so much going on around us, but I was only seeing her, and I could only hear what she was saying to me.

That picture is just both of us, and you can really see that it’s just us two in that moment and I love it. It made me cry when I saw it.

I don’t think I could have finished the marathon without her there; she carried me through the last two miles.

Crossing the line

It was amazing, and it was painful, but I felt so proud of myself, and I knew that my sister was really proud of me, and that meant the world to me.

 Thea Marie was really happy to see me, and I gave her a big hug after the finish line, which was just the best hug in the world. She was really proud of me and just said how much she loved me, and yeah, it was just amazing.

Thinking about running a marathon?

Do it, just do it.

I have said for months and months and months that I was never doing this again.

And I entered the ballot the day after … my boyfriend, friends and family all thought I had gone mental.

It was so much fun, and even though I got injured doing it, I really, really enjoyed it.

Doing it for a charity was the best, you see the charity and all the people there to support you at the designated cheer points and for me, it was just like, I’m doing this for other people.

One of the best days of my life.