It will be a poignant week for two friends when they take on an endurance challenge, but the money they raise will help families experiencing pregnancy loss across the country.

Michael Brennan, originally from Berwick, and William Richards are aiming to run seven marathons in seven consecutive days to honour the life of Michael’s late daughter, ‘Baby Brennan’.

Setting off on Monday, September 15, the challenge will take the pair on a 200-mile journey from London’s King’s College Hospital to Corwen, North Wales, and if all goes as planned it will conclude on Sunday, September 21, Baby Brennan’s original due date.

The run will raise vital funds for the King’s College Maternity Bereavement Team and awareness of the Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, an organisation that provides essential care and clinical research to improve outcomes for unborn babies in the UK.

Michael Brennan and William Richards are aiming to run seven marathons in seven consecutive days.

placeholder image — Michael Brennan and William Richards are aiming to run seven marathons in seven consecutive days.

In April this year, Michael’s wife Amelia gave birth to Baby Brennan at King’s College Hospital. Tragically, their baby passed away shortly after birth due to complications from prematurity.

The week before her birth, Amelia experienced PPROM (Preterm Prelabour Rupture of Membranes), a condition affecting approximately three per cent of pregnancies, causing her waters to break too early.

The marathon journey is deeply personal, as Corwen, North Wales is a symbolic location for the Brennan family.

In September 2024, prior to Amelia’s second pregnancy and following an early miscarriage, the couple visited a hilltop in Wales and placed Tibetan Prayer Flags in memory of their first loss. Baby Brennan’s ashes will be scattered nearby.

The now London-based business partners are the co-founders of Bob, a male body wash brand launched this year.

While Michael and Will both hold marathon experience, they have never attempted a challenge of this scale. Together, they are taking on this challenging and emotional journey – Michael to honour his daughter and William to stand in solidarity and support for his friend and business partner.

Michael said: “We hope that our journey can bring awareness and support to families experiencing the unimaginable loss that we sadly faced this year”.

“This challenge is for the mums and dads that have been, that could have been, and that will be. The care my wife Amelia received at King’s College Hospital was extraordinary.”

Donations can be made online at www.justgiving.com/page/michael-and-amelia-brennan-4