‘Fight hard, dream big and keep going forward’: meet the horse world’s London Marathon runners
Rider Emily Mustow will take on the TCS London Marathon on Sunday (26 April) after coming through the “darkest year” of her life.
The 26-year-old will run the 26.2 miles through the capital to raise money for the Bone Cancer Research Trust in honour of the late event rider Hannah Francis, who died in 2016 aged 18.
Emily faced numerous physical injuries and a decline in her mental health two years ago.
“I lost my top horse very suddenly at the end of 2023 and fell into quite a dark spiral,” she said.
“I then suffered a fairly significant spinal injury a month after losing Fred, followed not long after by post concussion syndrome (PCS).”
PCS is symptoms that persist for a long time after sustaining concussion.
Emily’s injuries compounded remaining issues from a previous head injury, which resulted in partial sight loss in one eye.
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She described 2024 as “the darkest year of my life”, but it was also a turning point. She joined the Wesko Equestrian Foundation’s young eventers pathway, which gave her a support network.
Emily said she was feeling weak, mentally and physically, and started to watch social media content of others training for marathons.
“I felt like I wanted and needed to achieve something outside of the sport, something that people would recognise the achievement,” she said. “But at that point I couldn’t even run for five minutes, let alone twenty-six miles.”
Her acceptance gave her a welcome new focus, after suffering a major confidence crisis in 2025.
“I was terrified to leave the start box. I’d question whether I’d actually be coming back through the finishing flags, and I could just visualise myself on the floor the other side of a fence,” she said.
A sabbatical from eventing, combined with starting marathon training helped Emily achieve mental clarity and to feel proud of herself again. She has trained and worked on her nutrition with former jockey Hannah Henn, who is now a fitness coach, which she said has “massively improved” her mental wellbeing.
“I feel emotionally and physically stronger. I started to believe in myself again, and it gave me the mental stability to be able to tell myself that I could keep going,” she said.
“The ‘never give up’ attitude Hannah had was something I wanted to take with me. Fight hard, dream big and keep going forward.”
Emily added that the support she has had from the equestrian and racing industry, in which her father, David Mustow, works as a jockey’s valet, has been “amazing”.
“Dad went into the weighing room and handed out flyers with the link to donate; they’ve all been amazing and so incredibly generous. James Doyle, Will Buick, Oisin Murphy, Matt Chapman, it’s been quite overwhelming!” said Emily, who is eyeing up the challenge of the Six Star Medal for completing the original six major marathons.
“Even when you’re down and out and your mind and body aren’t capable, it’s important to remember you really can achieve anything. I just hope that I can inspire others to make the changes they need.”
Visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/emily-mustow-londonmarathon26
‘I’m hoping to clear the average cost of a callout’
Rider Sarah Ahrens is running the London Marathon in memory of her daughter, Emily.
Sarah, a stable inspector for the British Horseracing Authority, has run two marathons to date and so far raised just over £13,000 in total for various charities.
“I lost my 19-year- old daughter on New Year’s Day 2024 and with running a marathon on my bucket list it seemed like the right time to challenge myself while raising money in her memory,” she told H&H.
“I ran it in 2025 for the British Heart Foundation, then ran Berlin later that year for Get Kids Going. I am now running London again, but this time for the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) – they were first on the scene after Emily’s sudden cardiac arrest.
“Having ridden for over 50 years and knowing many horsy friends have used the services of the EAAA it seemed like the perfect charity to fundraise for. I’m currently just under £3k but am hoping to clear £4,250 by the time my JustGiving page closes as that’s the average cost of a call out. They are incredible people doing incredible things – some heroes don’t wear capes.”
Visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/sarah-ahrens-3
‘This is a cause close to my heart’
Amateur event rider Maddie Oldham’s journey to the 2026 London Marathon, which she is running in aid of the Georgie Campbell Foundation, started in the pub.
“Having never been a regular runner, this started as a bet in the pub one summer evening with a bunch of horsey friends including Georgie’s husband, Jesse,” she said.
“They challenged me to run a 5k the following morning, which I did, and one thing has led to another. The next aim was to complete a marathon before my 30th birthday!
“As an event rider in Surrey, this is obviously a cause very close to my heart, and I’m delighted to run this marathon to support The Georgie Campbell Foundation to improve cross country safety and support early stage event riders while honouring Georgie’s memory.”
Visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/maddie-oldfield
London Marathon: who else should I be cheering for?
- The 20-time champion jockey Sir AP McCoy is running for the Matt Hampson Foundation. Visit: https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/racing/ap-mccoy-london-marathon-919988
- Tom March is running for Spinal Research in memory of his sister, Caroline. He has already helped to raise more than £365,000 through the Cycle4Caroline and Pedal3Peaks challenges, and his marathon total has just passed £2,000. Visit: https://justgiving.com/page/tom-march-marathon
- Young event rider Tabby Taylor, 18, is supporting the British Eventing Support Trust and Spinal Research. Visit: https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/11101/tabbys-fundraiser-for-british-eventing-support-tru/
- Equestrian artist Madeleine Bunbury is part of the squad taking on the 26.2 miles for the Countryside Alliance Foundation. Visit: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/madeleine-bunbury
- Rider Aliya Durant, who took up running just six months ago and has balanced marathon prep with a full-time job and caring for her two horses, will take to London’s streets in memory of her friend, Margaret. She is raising money for The Institute of Cancer Research. Visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/aliya-durant-2026
- Racing Welfare has nine people running. Visit: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/racingwelfare/profile
- Showjumper Chloe Lemieux is among those running for World Horse Welfare. Visit: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/worldhorsewelfare/profile
- The Brooke’s team of runners has raised more than £7,000 so far. Visit: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/thebrooke/profile
- To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.