Young Exmouth cancer survivor 'nervous but excited' to take on London Marathon for charity that supported her

With just a couple of weeks to go, a Devon fundraiser is looking forward to taking on the TCS London Marathon 2026 for the charity that supported her after she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2022.

Freya Sampson, 24, from Exmouth is raising money for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. She first joined one of the charity’s transformational sailing adventures in 2024, returned for a second trip last summer, and is looking forward to her third in 2026.The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust takes young people aged 8-24 on sailing and outdoor adventures to inspire them to believe in a brighter future living through and beyond cancer.

With the marathon on the horizon, Freya said: “I’m nervous but excited. My knee has been playing up a bit, and now it’s getting closer to the day I’m trying to get as much training in. But I’m also trying not to get injured! I’ve decided to try and reduce the amount of running and instead mix exercises up so it’s not so intense on my joints.

“I’ve booked accommodation for the weekend of the marathon, which is exciting but also one less thing on my mind now. I can’t believe how quickly time is going!”

After a dark and damp start to the year, which Freya says was really hard to train in – ‘I definitely got very wet a few times!’ – she’s glad the days are longer and the sun has arrived. Along with the start of spring, she has seen her stats from training improve, which has kept her motivated in this final stretch.

She continued: “I’m looking forward to the experience and putting all the training into practice. The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has helped me personally, so there’s always a reason for why I’m doing this, even on those hard runs, I remind myself.”

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has sought-after charity places for the iconic London Marathon 2027. Details on how to apply and fundraise like Freya can be found on the charity’s website ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org.

Whether diagnosed as a child, teenager, or young adult, cancer has a big impact on mental wellbeing beyond treatment. Friendships and relationships suffer, education is impacted, and young people can live with body image issues and late effects that last way beyond their cancer.

Through the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s sailing and outdoor adventures, young people gain a new sense of purpose and self-worth, rediscover their independence, and feel optimistic about what comes next in life. They realise what they are capable of, stop feeling like ‘the only one’, and their mental wellbeing improves.

Speaking previously, Freya said: “The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has given me such a good opportunity. I had never sailed before, and I love everything about their trips. It’s such a lovely thing to do, and being surrounded by people who have been through similar experiences as you and can relate to you is so nice.”

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is there for anyone who needs somewhere to turn, no matter how long off treatment they are. Visit ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org or follow @emctrust on social media.