Edge Hill University student Scarlett Dawson has raised over £2,400 for Asthma + Lung UK after recently completing the London Marathon in memory of her cousin, Amy.
Alongside her cousins, James and Naomi, Scarlett ran the London Marathon, which was held in the capital on Sunday 26th April, whilst raising valuable funds for Asthma + Lung UK.
Amy tragically passed away from a severe Asthma attack aged only 22 in October 2022, leaving behind a fiancé and two children who were four years-old and eight months old at the time.
“In the past couple of years, I have seen my older cousin and auntie complete the London Marathon and after hearing how much they enjoyed it I had to give it go. I knew that Amy was with me every step of way, during the difficult parts I knew I had to keep going for her,” Scarlett explained.
“I ran the Marathon so I could raise as much money for Asthma and Lung UK as possible. As a family, the charity is so close to our hearts, and it is important to us that no family should ever have to go through the pain and heartache we have. The money I have raised will support vital research for Asthma and Lung UK to allow them to create new treatments. As someone who also has Asthma this is very important.”
“During training, I actually had to sometimes cut runs short because of my Asthma and I would carry my inhaler on every run.
Preparations for Scarlett’s marathon journey would include running the Everton 10k, which started and finished at Hill Dickinson Stadium, as well as completing her first Half Marathon around Aintree Racecourse.
Scarlett continued: “Although I was running this marathon for Amy, I was also running it to challenge myself! At the beginning I couldn’t even run 5km but with my brother’s support I slowly built up the distance. In October I completed the Everton 10km race which was really fun. Then later in December, I completed my first Half Marathon at Aintree Racecourse! Getting a medal at the end of these races definitely gave me a boost to keep going. Around February, I unfortunately had an injury, my IT band was playing up which caused severe pain in my knee.
“Sadly, because of this I had to miss out on a lot of running. I visited a sports therapist who gave me some exercises to complete. Thankfully they worked really well but because of this injury it meant I was going into race day having only ran a Half Marathon.”
Scarlett, from Skelmersdale, would overcome those challenges to make the start line, and to be able to compete in the Marathon with James and Naomi, watched on by family and friends, was an “absolutely incredible” experience for her.
“I was really nervous, but the race was absolutely incredible. The crowds were insane, I had my name on my t-shirt so everyone was shouting my name. It’s like being a celebrity for the day! Tower Bridge was my favourite part because you literally turn round a corner and it’s there, it was so breathtaking,” Scarlett added.
“Because there were three cousins running the Marathon, we had all of our family supporting us. I managed to see my family three times in total which definitely pushed me.”
Scarlett hopes that her experiences can inspire others to take on a challenge.
She concluded: “I hope people reading this are inspired to run the London Marathon or are inspired to take on a challenge. I was not a runner before this marathon I couldn’t even run 5km but with perseverance I am now a Marathon runner. Training for this Marathon gave me something to focus on and aim towards. If anyone is considering running any race, I would say go for it and push yourself!”
If you’d like to donate to Asthma + Lung UK, you can do so on Scarlett’s fundraising page.
July 3, 2026
