A London teacher, who underwent heart surgery 10 weeks ago, is set to run the London Marathon this Sunday to honour her daughter who died after being diagnosed with a heart syndrome.
Sophie Martin, 31, aims to complete the race with her recently healed heart, hoping to demonstrate to her pupils that resilience can be found even in the face of profound grief.
Mrs Martin described her heart feeling "broken in more ways than one" after losing Olive. Her daughter was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome – where the left side of the organ is underdeveloped – during Mrs Martin’s 12-week scan.
Born in autumn 2024, Olive was "really strong" but suffered a cardiac arrest and died two days later.
This devastating loss left Mrs Martin, her husband, and their four-year-old son, Arthur, with "a lot of grief, sadness and shock”. She stressed the importance of discussing Olive for her own healing.
The Christian family explains difficult times to Arthur using a book about "the moon is always round”, symbolising that goodness persists even in darkness.
Coincidentally, Mrs Martin was diagnosed with heart arrhythmia during Olive’s labour, undergoing corrective surgery just 10 weeks before the marathon. Running, which she took up during the Covid pandemic, became an outlet for processing her grief.
Mrs Martin, PE lead at St James’ Roman Catholic Primary School, is among 39 educators running for Team TCS Teachers.
Last year, nearly a year after Olive’s death, she ran the Royal Parks marathon, raising £5,000 for Demelza Hospice, which supported her family.
"For me, this marathon is a new chapter," Mrs Martin said. "Running with a newly healed heart is my way of honouring Olive and showing my students, and myself, that even after immense grief, you can find strength and joy. It’s a reminder that life keeps going and I’m ready to see how much further I can go."
"I never thought I’d get in (to the marathon)," Mrs Martin told the Press Association.
"I honestly was really surprised when the email came in. I’d just had my heart surgery, and then it must have been about two weeks later I found out that I’d got in and I thought ‘I don’t know if I can even physically do this’."
Despite the significant challenge, she hopes her journey will inspire her students, teaching them that even the hardest tasks are not impossible.
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