Community
3 September, 2026
Danielle looking to conquer London marathon
After conquering her battles with mental health and perimenopause over the past six years, Kangaloon woman Danielle Foley is now looking to the biggest fitness challenge of her life: the 2027 TCS London Marathon.
After conquering her battles with mental health and perimenopause over the past six years, Kangaloon woman Danielle Foley is now looking to the biggest fitness challenge of her life: the 2027 TCS London Marathon.
The 47-year-old suffered a severe mental health episode back in 2020 which caused her to be hospitalised and undergo an operation.
"It really messed with my hormones and caused me to be quite ill for some time," Mrs. Foley told The Southern Wire.
"But thanks to the motivation of running, I'm now feeling a lot better."
Her husband Glenn is also a local Ironman and triathlon competitor.
"Glenn is absolutely amazing and has been so supportive - he really motivates me to get up in the morning and exercise!" Danielle said.
"He also helped me through an extremely stressful relapse in my mental health again which occurred on April 8 last year – I almost didn't make it through and was essentially in 'survival mode'."
It is through the running that she has been raising money for Beyond Blue, a mental health charity that focuses on anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and many other associated mental health conditions.
Danielle has also been competing in the Sydney City 2 Surf for the last four years and said that often after having taken part she would end up either injured or sick but would never let that stop her.
"Last year I crossed the finish line injured, emotional and determined – proof that I was still here….and getting stronger," Mrs. Foley said.
She has managed to raise about $6,000 for the charity in that four-to-five-year period.
“In fact, I was in their top 20 fundraising people," she said.
Beyond Blue approached Danielle back in April this year to see if she wanted to 'go bigger', and she had the choice of either the Sydney, New York, or London Marathons, and Beyond Blue chose London for her.
The 2027 TCS London Marathon will be held on April 25 and is now in its 20th year.
The course will take competitors all around the streets of the city, with the finish line just outside Buckingham Palace.
"The London Marathon is normally a very hard event to get into, with a ballot system in place for entrants," Mrs. Foley said.
"Over 1.3 million people entered through that ballot, and they then usually secure only 50,000 spots. But this year, because of the 20th anniversary there will be 100,000 spots on offer, and so I was extremely lucky to get a spot."
She is hoping to raise $10,000 towards her mission and has so far managed to raise over $7,000.
On Sunday September 13, Ms. Foley will be hosting a high tea at the Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens in East Bowral, where she hopes she can raise the other $3,000.
"I help to clean the Botanic Gardens two days a week and for special events through my cleaning business, and they were extremely generous in donating their indoor space for me to use for the event," she said.
Mrs. Foley said she has so far got about 20 people coming, and to reduce hiring costs for the use of the Botanic Gardens, she is encouraging guests to bring a plate of food to share.
"I have however managed to secure the services of Your Vintage Occasions from the Bradman Museum to provide us with the scones, jam and cream," Danielle said.
She also has the support of other local businesses such as Bare Body, Sweets and Treats and Sports Power.
"If I can get to that $10,000 fundraising total by Christmas, that would be great, and I can really ramp up my training," she said.
"Not to say that I haven't already been training – I managed to run about 15 kilometres around Bowral last Sunday, for instance."
The event will commence from 10am, with a presentation at 11am and will finish around 2pm.
The Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens is located at 1 Old South Rd, Bowral.
Tickets to the event are $30 per head (including bringing a plate to share) and can be purchased by either contacting Danielle on 0408 863 369, or there is a QR code on the Beyond Blue website link below and if you cannot make it, you can also click on the 'Give Now' tab at https://beyondblue.grassrootz.com/beyond-blue-marathons-2027/danielle-foley.
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Read More: Kangaloon, Southern Highlands, Bowral