"Something I never thought I’d achieve"

Armaan, who was diagnosed with macular dystrophy when he was 11 years old, took on his first ever marathon in April, to prove to himself that he could achieve something he never thought he would with sight loss.

“I wanted to prove that I can still do everything I want to,” he said, after crossing the finish line of the 2025 TCS London Marathon. “For me to be able to run a marathon for the Macular Society, was me proving a point to myself and other people that having sight loss doesn’t have to hold you back.”

As charity places for the 2026 London Marathon are still open our runners have continued to share their experiences from the 26.2-mile race. 

Armaan 'grateful' for vision he still has

“It’s not like doing a 5k or a 10k,” said Armaan. “It requires a lot more physical and mental strength. If you can do it, and it’s worth going for, then it signifies something about your inner self and your resilience.

“There were times I questioned why I was doing it but no, you can do anything where there’s a way around it. I ran on my own too but it was nice to see people with more severe sight loss also being able to run it alongside a guided runner.

“Even if I had needed a guide runner I would have had one, but I’ m also grateful I could do it by myself. I’m so grateful for the vision I do have now, because I don’t know when they will become more challenging, down the line.”

Raising funds and awareness

The 25-year-old law graduate raised more than £3,100 from the race, which will go towards research for macular disease, as well as support services for those living with the condition.

“I owe it to everyone who donated,” he said. “Obviously a big thank you goes to them for contributing and having the faith in me for taking part, let along finishing because I was feeling 50/50 at the start, my knee was a bit iffy, and I wasn’t sure I was going to finish it.

“At the same time I knew I wanted to give it my best, so to finish it was quite emotional. It took a while to settle in that it was over, that I had done this.

“I found my friends, and I laid down for about 15 minutes just to have the time to let it all sink in. It was a very emotional moment and something I never thought I’d achieve.”

Charity places available for 2026 London Marathon

The Macular Society has a small number of charity places available for next year’s London Marathon, which is scheduled to take place on 26 April 2026.

Applications will be reviewed and a final decision about places will be made in early autumn, once the public ballot results are confirmed.

Apply today