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Highlights
- At fifty, Giles Ashton-Roberts is running seven marathons across four continents, raising funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in honour of his mother, who lives with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
- MND has no cure and progressively removes movement, strength, and independence. Giles runs in sustained recognition of what the disease takes, and what those living with it endure.
- Anyone can take part: during any marathon week, moving for 42 minutes and sharing it with #FollowGiles turns a global challenge into a collective act of solidarity.
On this page
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The challenge
There are moments when life shifts, not loudly, but through the kind of recognition that settles in slowly and doesn’t leave. For Giles Ashton-Roberts, that moment came with his mother’s diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease(MND).
After that, the early mornings, the miles, the training through difficult weeks none of it was really about him anymore.
This year, at fifty, Giles is running seven marathons across four continents. Not for a personal best. To honour a woman whose world has been contracting while his legs can still carry him forward.
As a partner to the world’s leading marathons, TCS is with Giles for the long run. Support the challenge and donate here. https://www.justgiving.com/page/giles-ashton-roberts-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=WP
The man behind the miles
Giles doesn’t consider himself an athlete. By profession, he’s a technology leader at an international aviation services company. His work involves protecting aviation operations across hundreds of airports, a role that rewards precision, calm under pressure, and the ability to think in years rather than moments.
Running, though, has become something else. A ritual he returns to. A way of processing something that resists easy understanding.
Watching his mother live with MND has taught him a particular kind of patience and a belief in forward movement, even when the road ahead is unclear.
Why he runs
NMND takes its time. It removes movement first. Then strength. Then the ordinary independence most of us never think about. There is no cure and no treatment that turns the tide.
According to the MND Association, the average life expectancy following diagnosis is just two to five years.
Giles found his way to respond. Seven marathons, one for each layer of endurance the disease asks of those living with it, and the families who stay beside them.
He runs because his mother can’t.
The seven cities
The journey takes Giles through seven of the world’s great marathon cities:
Paris · Boston · London · Sydney · New York City · Singapore · Mumbai
Different climates. Different crowds. The same reason throughout.
Each city brings its own conditions. Mumbai’s heat. Boston’s hills. London’s noise. What doesn’t change is the purpose behind every step and the ongoing commitment to the Motor Neurone Disease Association that each race represents.
Run with him
You don’t need to cross a finish line to be part of this.
During any marathon week, take 42 minutes to move, walk, run, cycle, swim, whatever your body allows. Share it with #FollowGiles.
It is a simple thing. But a lot of simple things, happening at once, tend to add up.
- Move for 42 minutes
- Any activity counts
- Share your moment using #FollowGiles
Fundraising goal: £10,000
Donate via JustGiving → https://www.justgiving.com/page/giles-ashton-roberts-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=WP
Follow the journey – The live blog
Welcome to the running log of a year that didn’t begin the way any of us expected and maybe that’s what makes it worth following. This is where we’ll share honest updates, small moments, setbacks, wins, and whatever each city brings.
No polish. No scripts. Just the journey.
Mumbai — January 2026
Mumbai was meant to be the first. Months of training behind him. Bag packed. Bib collected. Then, on the morning of the race, Giles was told he couldn’t run, a medical decision he hadn’t anticipated but, in the end, needed to hear.
This was never going to be a neat checklist of seven finish lines. Sometimes showing up means knowing when not to run.
In the meantime, Giles has made a full recovery and is fully focused on preparing for the next challenge: Paris, Boston, and London, all within a few weeks of each other!
Next: Paris. Updates to follow.