Mark Bignall

Back in September 2005 we were so looking forward to becoming parents to our second child. Devastatingly, we received the news at our 20 week scan that there was no detectable heartbeat, and our beautiful baby Ava was born sleeping a few days later.<!--TgQPHd|||[]-->

Unfortunately, our heartbreak did not end there. The following year, another of our beautiful baby girls, Erin, passed away after a short time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Heartbroken and deeply traumatised by the loss of two daughters, we reached out to Sands<!--TgQPHd|||[["https://www.sands.org.uk/",null,null,[null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,[{"1218":[16]}]],16,null,"Sands Charity Website",null,null,null,null,[[1787780491784295,4277968,456090280],null,null,null,null,[[0,15]]],null,"a608f71d-2cf8-4f37-9a04-fdd6acb4af2e"]]--><!--TgQPHd|||[]--> (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity). They stepped in with amazing support, comfort, and vital advice to help us navigate a completely new and altered future.<!--TgQPHd|||[]-->

Along with our other amazing children, Ava and Erin remain at the absolute center of our family and our hearts every single day. While we cannot celebrate Ava's landmark 21st birthday with her here, we are channeling our love, memories, and physical energy into this race. Side by side, we will tackle every single kilometer run and all workout stations with our two girls in mind for every single rep.<!--TgQPHd|||[]-->

We are raising money directly for Sands<!--TgQPHd|||[]--><!--TgQPHd|||[]--> to give back to the community that held us up. Your generous donations help ensure that other grieving parents and families receive the exact same lifesaving guidance, memory boxes, and counseling networks when their world turns upside down.<!--TgQPHd|||[]-->

Thank you for helping us keep Ava and Erin's lights shining bright. Every donation carries us closer to our finish line and helps us to honour our daughter's special birthday.