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Rebekah Lyles

London Landmarks Half 2025

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Done and dusted

It’s done. The race that I have been training for and raising money for is over. I originally set out to raise money for Combat Stress and run a sub 2 hour half marathon. While I’ve been able to raise most of the money before the race (so close to my goal) I wasn’t even close to my running goal. Life happened. The unpredictable happened…twice. I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to meet my goal and I think by the time the race came around I was mostly ok with it. At first it felt like a waste of all my efforts over the last 8 months. Like it was for nothing. I didn’t want to run the race anymore. Eventually I settled into the fact that despite how I felt about this event, I was still able to raise important funds to help military veterans. What I was feeling, the pull to just give up or throw in the towel, these veterans feel more strongly and probably more often. So, if I could manage to just put one foot in front of the other for a a few miles, then that’s one more step that helps a veteran get through another day. There’s still time to donate and/or share my fundraising page.


As it happened, there happened to be an incident right before the race kicked off and the organizers managed to adjust the route instead of cancelling the whole thing (thankfully) but that meant the new course was 700m short of the half marathon distance. Oh well…guess I have to try again next year 😆 All in all the race went really well. Better than I was expecting and I really enjoyed the course. And then afterwards we went on an Egg Hunt….totalling 40,000 for the day.

Almost time

Six days until I take my place at the London Landmarks Half Marathon. Six days until I run for Combat Stress…a charity that supports and assists military veterans with their mental health. 
Despite my training and my efforts I do not think that I’ll meet my goal of a sub-2 hour time. There were too many unforeseen circumstances and there was no way I could have planned for it. Specifically, flying back to the US for 2 funerals within 2 months Between the long travel days and lack of time and space to run properly, I probably lost about 3 weeks of consistent training and I haven’t been able to recover from it. Which means I’ll just get to enjoy the course and entertainment even more on race day. The weather is looking nice although a bit warm so I’ll make the most of it. 
Thank you to all that have supported me along the way. It means so much knowing that your donations are helping a Veteran find themselves again. 

Cambridge Half…

Cambridge Half Marathon was on Sunday. In January I had thought I’d get close to my PB and maybe even set a new record. A few weeks later we ended up in the US for our 2nd family funeral in two months. Another unplanned stateside visit. Between the funerals and the planned vacation I probably missed 3+ weeks of solid training. My final time for Cambridge was less than stellar. In fact, it ended up being slower than last year despite my additional training that I’ve managed to do. The bizarre summer heat on race day didn’t help. All my training was in winter cold, often sub-zero, weather. 
I still finished the race…but not even close to what I was hoping for. It makes my goal of running a sub-2hour half marathon seem out of reach. I have 3 and a half weeks to improve…with an injured toe to work around. I don’t know if it’s possible anymore but I’ll keep trying. 

10km under an hour!!

I DID IT!! Today’s training run was 2 hours of running…12 miles. I was not looking forward to it since I haven’t done a long run in such a long time. BUT when the weather behaves itself (mild temps, no wind, dry) and I don’t have to stop for traffic or people who don’t keep hold of thier dogs…then everything just falls into place and I FINALLY get my 10km under an hour! Barely..but every second counts. AND the full 12 miles ended up being under 2 hours which means that if I needed to go the full 13.1 for a half, I could have and not end up dying  at the finish line. AND I was able to keep my pace where it should be throughout the entire run. Progress!!!
Thank you to those have supported me and my fundraiser, Combat Stress. If you’d like to support or just share the link, I would greatly appreciate it! 
Two months until Cambridge Half
Three Months until the BIG one…London Landmarks Half Marathon

Progress is made

Sometimes I do not want to go and run. Ok…a lot of the times I do not want to go for a run. Especially after 3 days of 20,000 steps of walking around a very hilly theme park. But I know if I am to meet my goal of raising funds for this amazing charity and meeting my goal of running a half marathon in under 2 hours, then I need to do my training run. And sometimes…the results can be surprising. Today I had to run 7 miles. Year I ran a 10km (6.23miles) in 1 hour 10 min and was really happy with that. Today I ran 10km in less then 1 hour 5 minutes…a few minutes from my PB. Yay! Despite me grumbling about running…the plan is working. Progress can be seen…and I don’t feel as tired afterwards. 

Finding my pace

Yesterday I decided to go for a short run. It was suppose to be a rest day but I have a few busy days next week so I figured I’d get something in while I could. I ran 2 miles at my goal pace! That’s a full minute per mile faster than what I typically run! Now, could I sustain it for much longer, probably not, but it feels good knowing that progress is being made. Any progress is good…

The Beginning

I first heard of Combat Stress at the Running Show back in January 2024. Growing up as an Army Brat, I was intrigued and looked them up. I think asked a friend who is active duty about them. She said “they do good work”. By then all charity places were full for any of the events that I could participate in for the year. So I told myself, “If I am still thinking about this charity in several months, then I’ll raise money for them in 2025.” And here we are. This very important charity has been on my mind almost constantly since January. That’s 7 months. 
Next April, I will be running the London Landmarks Half Marathon. It’s a ‘Bucket List’ race. I’ve entered the ballot many times with no luck. Luck caught me this year and I’ve received a ballot spot. This means that any money I raise, goes directly to the charity. 
I have a few goals to meet in the next 8 months. First, raise £500 for Combat Stress. Second, run a half marathon in less then 2 hours. I’ve run many half marathons but all have been over 2 hours. My best time is 2h 15 min. Yes, I have a lot of work to do. BUT…if a Veteran can pick up the phone and call the Combat Stress hotline when they’ve hit bottom…then I can put in the work and go the distance. 

Support my challenge

This year I will be taking on the London Landmarks Half Marathon to raise vital funds for life-changing mental health treatment for veterans.

Combat Stress is the UK's leading charity for veterans' mental health. For over a century, they've helped former servicemen and servicewomen deal with issues like trauma, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Today, they provide support to veterans from every service and every conflict.

I’m taking on vital steps towards ensuring veterans can get the support they need.

Thank you so much for your support.

Please Help Me
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Raised

£503 + £48.46 GiftAid

My Goal

£500

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My Achievements

Uploaded profile pic

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Self donated

Raised £250

Raised £500

Raised £750

Reached Fundraising Goal

Created a Team

Completed my challenge

Thank you to my Sponsors

£106

Mike And Vicki Welch

Good luck, Becky.

£106

Mike L

£80.81

Michael L

Well done on your race. This was a great cause you’ve supported. I’m so proud of your great accomplishments through your this journey even with life throwing in as many road blocks as possible. You rocked that race!!

£57.24

Anonymous

Well done Becky..!! Amazing achievement...💪🙏😎🎉

£40.28

Rebekah Lyles

£28.62

Terri Roller

Good luck!

£28.21

Eric And Emma

Keep it up!!!

£25.44

Diana

Amazing cause gorgeous xxx

£20

Anonymous

£10.60

Angela

Go for it Rebekah, it’s a great cause that you are raising money for!