Barb Martin’s Story

When Barb Martin crossed the finish line of the Great Wall Marathon in China, it wasn’t just the end of 42.2 of the toughest kilometres of her life. It was the culmination of years of grief, grit and a personal promise not to give up.

Barb, a married mother of four and the youngest of four siblings, has experienced a level of loss that few can understand. Within just nine months, her family lost five beloved members – including her 26-year-old son Jeremy, her sister, two brothers, and a stepfather. “When you turn up at a hospital expecting to see your child knocked about a bit, and instead two policefolk walk through the door, you know you’re facing the biggest mountain you’ll ever climb,” she says.

In the years that followed, Barb carried on. She kept working. Kept showing up. Kept holding her family together. But her own health – physically and emotionally – was fraying at the edges. “I was eating to feel better, feeling terrible in my gym gear, and struggling to do something good for myself.”

Then came a bold decision to train for the Great Wall Marathon.

Barb didn’t take this journey alone. Dream It wrapped expert support around her, including Olympic triathlon coach Murray Healey and even a surprise mentoring session with New York Marathon winner and world record holder Allison Roe.

“I remember sharing my doubts with Mavis, and next thing I know, I’m sitting with Allison Roe. She was so generous and lovely – her stories and strategies gave me a huge confidence boost.”

Her training included structured programmes and a solid gym routine at Kensington Fitness. RPM spin classes, Body Pump, and yoga helped build her strength, cardio capacity, and recovery – all critical elements for someone managing an old hamstring injury, recurring back pain and shin splints.

“Group fitness is my motivator,” Barb says. “Spin gave me an edge in cardio fitness, Pump strengthened my body for endurance, and yoga became my go-to treat for recovery.”

The team at Kensington Fitness helped Barb turn training into a habit. She learned how to move with better form, build muscle to prevent injury and embrace gym-based training alongside her outdoor running. “I’d look forward to those sessions—even the ones where I left absolutely drenched.”

What kept Barb going wasn’t just the finish line in China – it was her daughters. “I needed to show my girls that even after everything, we could still live fully. That Jeremy’s life mattered. That we could honour him by doing the hard things.”

In fact, she did it with her daughters. “We did this together. Because they knew if I could get to the start line, so could they.”

The marathon itself was brutal. “Thirty degrees, steep steps, a rolled ankle, nausea at 32km – but I kept going. Because I could. Because Jeremy couldn’t.”

Barb finished the Great Wall Marathon in one piece, cheered across the line by her Dream It teammates. The temperature was the highest in event history—and the number of Did Not Finish’s the largest. But Barb finished strong. No regrets.

With that once-in-a-lifetime experience now part of her story, Barb’s already thinking about what’s next. Her goal? “To live large for those who can’t.”

Barb’s journey shows what’s possible when personal courage meets the right kind of support. From Kensington Fitness to the Great Wall of China, from heartbreak to triumph, Barb is living proof that with the right people around you, even the toughest challenges can be completed—one dream at a time.