Rachel and James complete their 84 mile challenge!
Last weekend, APP Peer Supporter Rachel, from Lancashire ran an incredible 84 miles between the two NHS Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) that helped her recover from postpartum psychosis, a rare but severe mental illness, after the births of her two children.
Rachel left The Mount in Leeds at 9am on Saturday 7th June and arrived at Ribblemere, Mother and Baby Unit at Chorley Hospital just before 3.30pm on Sunday, running for almost 30 hours alongside her partner James Ingleby.
Rachel and James were supported throughout the challenge by their official support crew made up of 27 family and friends, with many of the volunteers running shifts, bringing food and supplies, providing childcare, acting as timekeepers, offering moral support and cheering them over the finish line outside Ribblemere alongside their two children, Evelyn and Jude.
On her decision to complete the challenge to raise money and awareness for Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP), which was more than two years in the making after James made the ‘wild suggestion’, Rachel explained:
“After the birth of our daughter in 2019, I developed postpartum psychosis, a severe
and traumatic illness that came out of nowhere. I experienced delusions, confusion
and frightening hallucinations and was admitted to the MBU in Leeds.
“It felt like everything had been taken from us at what should have been the happiest
time. I truly believed I’d never feel like myself again, I’m so grateful for the care that
helped me recover.”
After moving to Clitheroe, Rachel became pregnant with their second child in 2021. Although she received excellent support, early signs of postpartum psychosis returned, including anxiety, insomnia and obsessive thoughts about her baby’s safety. This time, the warning signs were recognised quickly, and she was admitted to Ribblemere MBU. Since being discharged with son Jude, Rachel has experienced depression and anxiety but has continued to recover with the right support. This ultimately inspired her to take on this challenge in support of APP to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis and maternal mental health.
Before starting the run Rachel said: “Stepping back inside the MBU this morning where my recovery journey began for the first time felt surreal. We’ve had an amazing send off and the entourage who will be joining us to run down to the canal includes many familiar staff faces which means so much.
“We chose the two MBUs as they were where I received my care, but starting at Leeds was important to me as it was the first step in my recovery. The huge distance of the challenge symbolises the journey that comes after discharge as it is often still a long recovery road.”
The majority of the 84 mile route was run alongside the Leeds to Liverpool canal. Rachel and James were joined by family and friends throughout who made sure they were never alone and kept their spirits up delivering blister plasters, changes of clothes and food supplies which even included fresh pizza!
After almost 30 hours of running Rachel and James were met by volunteer runners, from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT), who ran the final few miles with them before they arrived at Ribblemere to their cheering and emotional family and friends, staff from the MBU and APP, crossing the finish line ribbon with their children.
Rachel adds: “I don’t think we realised what a huge challenge we’d set ourselves until we were actually doing it. The early hours of Sunday morning were when it became really tough and there were moments I thought we wouldn’t get to the end. We supported each other through the low points, it was a huge mental battle as well as physical.
“The hardest part was the pain from the blisters and knowing we still had a long way to go, we coped by breaking it down checkpoint to checkpoint. At the checkpoints it was a mental battle of wanting to sit down and rest but knowing we had to keep moving to avoid seizing up and keeping to our time schedule. The highlight was the children surprising us before the night shift team took over, that gave us both a real boost.
“The moment we saw our finish line welcoming team on the canal was the biggest relief and gave us the last push we needed to get to the finish line. When I saw the entrance to the hospital and the supportive signs I was overcome with emotion, we had the best finish line reaction.
“Finishing at Ribblemere was special, as not only was it the second MBU I was cared for in, but I now work with APP and provide peer support to mums and their families at the start of their recovery journeys there. Using my own experiences to help others feels really powerful.
“Thank you to everyone who supported us, donated and made this challenge possible, two years ago I didn’t think I could run 5km and now we can proudly call ourselves ultramarathon runners!”
Rachel and James have raised over £8,000 which will help support mums and families experiencing postpartum psychosis.
Fliss Lambert, Head of Fundraising at APP added: “All of us at APP are in awe of Rachel and James and their amazing achievement over the weekend. We are so grateful to them and all their supporters for taking on this epic challenge. Most people would find the London Marathon alone to be more than enough for one year, but to go on and complete this 84 mile challenge as well really is amazing.
“The funds they have raised could help APP support more than 220 individuals affected by postpartum psychosis. Alongside the awareness they have raised by sharing their own story really could help save lives by ensuring more people know to look out for the signs and symptoms of postpartum psychosis. Thank you so much Rachel and James!’