Emma’s experience

Running the London marathon is a once in a lifetime opportunity and being able to do this not only with a stoma, but because my stoma gave me back the quality of life and health that I needed to be able to run it at all, was absolutely incredible.

The prospect of running a marathon was daunting enough in itself, let alone with a stoma! I’d only had my stoma surgery about 11 months before the race, so I was very conscious that I was quite early into my recovery journey and of course felt slightly apprehensive about how my stoma and appliances would behave when I got underway with training.

At the beginning of my training, I had barely run more than a mile since I’d had my surgery. So, I was conscious to take everything very slowly and structure my training on a gentle plan that got my miles up over a few months- this was key!

It also gave me the time, as I was building up my miles gently, to see how my stoma reacted to exercise and race foods… energy gels sit badly even in the best of stomachs, so I was careful to try and test everything that I would be eating or drinking on marathon day.

Amongst my kit was my stash of energy gels, blister plasters, and spare stoma supplies in case I came into trouble mid-race. The other important thing I needed to be mindful of on the day was that I was keeping well hydrated, but there were water stops every mile so that wasn’t hard to do.

It was an absolutely unreal experience, on one hand, but it was also one of the toughest physical challenges I’ve ever faced. I can’t describe how incredible the atmosphere was- nothing but the most amazing positivity and spirit.

If you’re like me, stoma surgery and recovery is probably the toughest marathon you’ll ever go through, so think of this as your victory lap! Since London I’ve run an ultra-marathon and have signed up for numerous races in the future- I’m determined my stoma will never get in the way of me achieving anything!

Matthew’s experience

When I got the call from Crohn’s & Colitis UK that I had been offered a charity place for the TCS London Marathon, it began to sink in what I had signed up for, however I was still extremely excited for the challenge.

I have tried to stay fit and healthy with my stoma, but the idea of running a marathon was daunting due to the sheer distance.

I thoroughly enjoyed the training programme that I was following, however I could not follow it religiously due to how I felt on different days with my stoma.

For my evening runs, I would not eat after lunchtime so I would be confident that my stoma would not be releasing output whilst on my run.

For my longer training runs, I would get up early to have breakfast, wait till this was digested and then head out, hoping that my stoma would not cause me issues whilst I was on a longer run. On my first few longer runs I was really struggling with dehydration, so I invested in a running vest which allowed me to carry 2 bottles of water and my energy gels. Once I understood how important hydration was, especially with a stoma, it made a huge difference to my performance whilst training and on race day.

For race day I had a larger breakfast as I knew my start time was slightly later, which gave me the confidence that it would be fully digested before I started, doing everything I could to avoid any issues. I carried one of my refillable water bottles with me and 4 energy gels. I had planned to meet my family at 3 different points along the route where I could take on more gels if needed.

I absolutely loved taking part in the marathon. From training to race day, I can truly say I enjoyed it all and it helped me to understand how me and my stoma would cope when completing such a challenge. To run through London on closed roads with the incredible support you get along the whole route is an experience that I will never forget.

The standout moment for me is of course crossing the finish line and having one of the amazing volunteers place your Finisher’s Medal round your neck. I felt immensely proud of what I had achieved and the barriers I had overcome to get to there.

Crohn’s & Colitis UK provides invaluable, high quality, expert information for those living with the conditions. Over the past year, our "Living with a stoma" webpage has been visited by over 18,000 supporters! The funds raised by London Marathon runners are crucial for all the work we do. It helps us to keep our information as up to date and accessible as possible for all those who need it.