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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
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.
Glimpses from the event
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.
Giles - The Man behind the Miles
Why he runs
MND 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.
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 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!
Follow Giles Ashton-Roberts as he takes on the 49th edition of the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon, part of his personal challenge: seven marathons in pursuit of one mission: raising money for MND.
Support the cause: Giles Ashton-Roberts is fundraising for Motor Neurone Disease Association
Today at a glance:
Event: Schneider Electric Paris Marathon
Start time: 8:00 a.m. CET
Distance: 42.2km
Over 50,000 runners
Why it matters: Every marathon is another act of endurance in recognition of what MND takes and what those living with it
How to follow: Refresh this page for updates and watch the short clips under the headline
Pictures from bib pick up & map of Paris
Post 1: Pre‑start
Paris Marathon | Morning
Paris is waking up quietly. Roads are closed, the air is still, and runners are preparing for what lies ahead.
Giles Ashton‑Roberts is focused on the basics: hydration, fuel, and calm. Today marks another stage in his Seven Marathons journey, running to raise awareness and support for people living with Motor Neurone Disease.
“As always,” Giles says, “Today isn’t really about the race or the distance. It’s about showing up, staying present, and carrying the reason I’m here with me from the first step to the last. When things get hard later on, that reason is what keeps me moving.”
Post 2: Start & early race
Paris Marathon | Under way
The race is moving. Thousands of runners have set off through Paris, settling into the early kilometres.
For Giles, the priority is restraint. The plan is simple: control the pace, stick to the process, conserve energy.
Post 3: Mid‑race (the pivot point)
Paris Marathon | Into the second half
By the halfway mark, Paris is fully alive. Crowds line the route, and the race begins to ask harder questions.
Fuel is steady. Rhythm is controlled. Experience takes over.
The hardest work is still to come.
Post 4: The turning point (30–35K)
Paris Marathon | Where it changes
Every marathon has a moment where it stops being about running and becomes about resolve. For many, that moment comes at 30 kilometres.
This is where Giles’ mission is most visible, not in pace, but persistence.
One kilometre at a time, he keeps moving forward.
Post 5: Finish & reflection (measured, meaningful)
Paris Marathon | Finished
Giles Ashton‑Roberts has crossed the line in Paris, completing another marathon in the Seven Marathons journey.
Exhaustion, relief, and quiet pride follow the finish. One race completed. One milestone reached. His words at the line say it all: “Crossing the line hurts physically and emotionally but that pain puts everything into perspective. I ran today for my mother, and of the families living with MND every single day. If this helps raise awareness or support even one person, then every one of those kilometres was worth it.”
Paris is done. Next up: Boston, then London. The mission continues.
As a partner to the world’s leading marathons, TCS is with Giles for the long run. Support the challenge and donate here.
More on the Prais Marathon here: TCS at the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris