The eyes of the running world were on the capital on April 26 when nearly 60,000 people took part in the London Marathon.

But Ylang Fernandez Lowman was watching on, having pushed herself to the limit in an even tougher race for a charity close to her heart a few weeks earlier.

The fundraiser from Woking completed the world-famous Marathon des Sables ultramarathon during the second week of April.

Ylang pushed herself to the limit in the 270km run across the Sahara, encountering sand dunes, rock plains and scorching temperatures across six days.

But there were several factors which propelled her to the finish line in the “world’s toughest footrace” with the athlete calling the “incredibly tough challenge” one of the best experiences of her life.

“Looking back, I realise it stopped being about running,” said Ylang, who ran in memory of late son, Gem, who was just 31 when he took his life in November 2023.

“It became something far deeper – a test of who you are when everything else is stripped away.

“Out there, in the vastness of the desert, even in the midst of a sandstorm, there’s no hiding. It’s you, your thoughts, and the relentless demand to keep moving forward.

“It was brutally hard, but without question one of the most powerful experiences of my life. The raw beauty of the desert, the camaraderie among runners, and every stage of the race will stay with me forever.”

Ylang, who has raised more than £2,100 for Rethink Support After Suicide from her adventures in North Africa, found the 100km “Long Stage” especially challenging, with physical and mental exhaustion taking hold.

She avoided injury and only developed a few blisters, but her real battles were with hunger and sleep, getting only three hours kip during a 36-hour ordeal.

She said: “Even now, I struggle to understand how I kept putting one foot in front of the other.

“But I was there because of Gem. I thought of my youngest son, Pandimus, who had travelled across the world not just to volunteer, but to stand at that finish line.

“I thought of everyone who believed in me and supported Rethink. I thought of the parents I know who have lost their sons or daughters and those who left us too soon.

“And in those toughest moments, I understood something clearly: this race was never just about reaching the finish line.”

While Ylang was understandably proud at completing the race, her journey doesn’t stop at the finish line. The journey up to the marathon and her trek across the Sahara wasn’t about racing, but atonement.

She added: “I’m looking forward to a sense of normality: rediscovering life beyond the race, reconnecting with hobbies, and allowing myself to dream again after two years shaped by grief.

“This journey, however, does not end at the finish line. It continues in the purpose that carried me through every step.”

To make a donation look for ‘Gem’ at https://fundraising.rethink.org/