11 Feb 2025
A St Albans GP and her long-time friend are training to compete in a gruelling ultra marathon to raise funds in support of young people’s mental health.
Dr Alison Cowan is the GP lead for the Thrive Young Person’s Clinic, which has provided comprehensive mental health, physical health, and sexual health support to young people since its inception in 2019.
But the clinic is now facing challenges due to difficulties securing funding for an outreach support worker from Mind in Mid Herts, which runs the service.
Now Alison and friend Caroline Pettigrew, who she met at university, are tackling the Endurance Life Sussex Ultra Marathon in a bid to raise £4,732 to fund a support worker for one year, helping with follow-up care to ensure young people stay on track with their mental health goals.
Alison explained: “Sadly, Mind in Mid Herts no longer had the funding to support the outreach work. We are so eager to reinstate it though as it has been such a valuable service, offering amazing support to the local children and young people, as highlighted by the fact that every MiMH clinic more recently was fully booked.
“Losing the support worker has also meant that the GPs within the Young Person’s service have been reviewing more young people within their clinics and so have less capacity to see new patients, resulting in a waiting list.”
The pair’s first marathon was 25 years ago in London, but this latest endeavour marks a new milestone for them both, with a 32.53-mile race that covers coastal and countryside terrain.
Alison said: “This will definitely push our boundaries, but we know that young people struggling with their mental health are having to push their boundaries every single day. It’s a challenge we are proud to take on to support such an important cause.”
Although she has no doubt the ultra-marathon will be tough, she said she is looking forward to having a good catch-up with Caroline during the run: “We’re planning on running at a conversational pace, and we’re also looking forward to a good hearty meal together afterwards.”
But she’s torn between what will be the hardest part of the challenge: “It’s a close call between the distance and the big hills! I think the distance probably wins though as I have always said at the end of every marathon that I have run that I simply couldn’t imagine running another step, let alone another 6.3miles as will be the case for this ultra marathon.”
Mind in Mid Herts CEO Sharn Tomlinson said: “We are incredibly inspired by Alison and Caroline’s commitment. Their efforts will shine a light on the mental health struggles young people face and help bring vital support back to our community.”
To donate to their fundraising campaign, visit their JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/alisonandcaroline
