Couch to 5K runners take on London marathon

To celebrate 10 years of the NHS Couch to 5K app, we spoke to four runners who started with the programme and are now attempting the 2026 London marathon.

They share their stories behind why they took up running and the inspirations that keep them going, mile after mile.

In 2021, Sheila Mitchell, from North Yorkshire, read an article about strength declining with age.

Her daughters suggested she try Couch to 5K to help counter it.

Previously a regular squash player, Sheila never felt running was for her and admitted she thought it sounded "boring".

But with her daughters' support, she downloaded the app and although at the start running for 30 seconds felt like "forever", it slowly got easier.

Sheila's daughter Holly was living with her at the time and supported her through the programme.

Holly had competed in triathlons, but struggled with her mental health and alcohol addiction.

She died aged 34 in November 2021.

"When we lost Holly, I turned to running," said Sheila, now 68. "It was my lifesaver."

When Sheila took breaks from running, she returned to Couch to 5K to get moving again.

While watching the 2023 London marathon, Sheila decided she wanted to enter, to use her running to raise money in Holly's memory.

Sheila ran her first marathon in 2024 for the Samaritans, aged 66, and loved it so much she signed up for the following year.

Injury meant Sheila had to defer her place, but she will be running the 2026 marathon to raise money for the NSPCC, a charity close to Holly's heart.

She said: "Here I am, running my second marathon. And that's all come from Couch to 5K.

"It's never too late to try."

James Dyer, from Biggleswade, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2023. Now 29, he is running his first marathon to raise money for Diabetes UK.

He started Couch to 5K in 2020 to stay fit and get some fresh air.

To start with, he said "the idea of doing a 5K felt really daunting".

However, James learned how to pace his runs using the programme and after completing a 5K Race for Life, decided to push himself further.

After a few unsuccessful London marathon ballot entries, he received an email about charity places and said choosing Diabetes UK was "a no-brainer".

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James' own diabetes diagnosis "came as a bit of a surprise" after he mentioned to his GP that he felt tired all the time.

"Everything flipped on its head because I had to relearn a lot," he said.

James now manages his insulin with daily injections and factors his diabetes into his running, especially when it comes to fuelling.

In the days before a long run, James loads up on carbohydrates and consumes an energy gel roughly every half hour during the run itself.

After completing Couch to 5K, he said he felt "really proud of himself" and now feels a sense of empowerment in his marathon training.

"Even though a lot of things have changed over the past three years, fundamentally I am still the same person and I can do it."

Following a breast cancer diagnosis and her second pregnancy, Alicja Bunio felt "a real need" to get her body moving again.

Somebody mentioned Couch to 5K and so, while undergoing cancer treatment, she began the programme.

Alicja, 40, from Milton Keynes, started her running journey doing a 700m lap near her house.

"I remember struggling," she said.

"But very quickly I realised I was extending the distance, and something clicked."

For Alicja, the positive instructions and motivation from the app helped her keep running.

"I really loved having a person telling me what to do and cheering me on."

One year on from her cancer diagnosis, Alicja completed a half marathon.

"It was the most incredible feeling," she said.

"To have something to work towards, first with Couch to 5K and then building up, has made a huge difference to me.

"To my physical health, of course, but even more so to my mental health."

Listen to the Couch to 5K podcast here.

Alicja has now joined her local running club and in 2024 she entered the London marathon to raise money for Breast Cancer Now.

Although the training was hard, she described the race as an incredible experience.

"I didn't think I would be here really, so to be here, running a marathon - what a privilege it is."

London 2026 will be Alicja's second marathon.

Her advice to anyone at the start of their running journey is to begin slow.

She said: "Give yourself time and grace.

"Regardless of pace, it's about being out, meeting people and moving your body."

In 2024, Janine Anderson's son finished the London marathon, turned to her and said "now it's your turn".

All three of Janine's children have completed the marathon, raising over £15,000 for Heart Research UK in memory of their father, Brendan, who died from an undiagnosed heart condition in 2013.

Following her son's prompting, Janine, 63, applied for the 2026 London marathon though Heart Research UK in July 2025.

She said: "I haven't run since my early 20s.

"I downloaded the Couch to 5K app and thought 'I've just got to take it little by little'."

Janine's children joined her on some of her runs and, steadily, the running became "a bit addictive".

Once she had finished the initial programme, she added a kilometre each week, building up to a half marathon in December 2025.

"Since I finished Couch to 5K, I've done 750km, in my mish-mash way of doing it," she said.

As someone who has gone from Couch to 5K to a marathon in under a year, Janine's top tip is to download the app.

"I think it would be hard to do on your own, without any support," she said.

"I really liked that it started so small.

"The app was brilliant."

You can download the Couch to 5K app for Apple and Android.