Lexi May Hopkin was eight years old, full of life and, by all accounts, capable of lighting up any room she walked into. She was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2015 and died in January 2016.
Her friend Tallulah Chalstrey was 14 at the time. She made herself a promise: she would do something. Ten years on, that promise has taken Tallulah — now 24, from Llansamlet — to the start line of one of the most gruelling endurance events in the country.
This Saturday, Tallulah sets off on the London2Brighton Ultra Challenge — 100km from Richmond-upon-Thames, over the North Downs, through the South Downs, and down to the Brighton coastline. She will run and walk it continuously until she reaches the finish line.
The distance is not a coincidence. “The idea of 100km felt symbolic: 10km for every year we’ve been without her,” she said.
“Lexi was a ray of sunshine,” said Tallulah. “She had this incredible ability to light up every room she walked into, whether it was through her silly dance moves or infectious laughter. She was courageous, caring and super confident, with such a big personality and even bigger ambitions.”
“Losing her was devastating,” she added. “It left me struggling to understand how someone so full of life could be taken so unfairly and so young.”
Tallulah has thrown herself into fundraising since Lexi’s death — climbing the Three Peaks and running the London Marathon in support of different charities in Lexi’s name. But the 100km challenge is the biggest thing she has taken on, and training has been intense.
“Training’s been long, tiring, and at times overwhelming — but I’ve loved every step,” she said. “Running through the roads and trails of Wales has reminded me why I’m doing this, and how lucky I am to be able to.”
The fundraising effort has already been remarkable. Six weeks of quiz nights hosted by The Swigg in Swansea alone raised £600, with online raffles and donations from friends and family pushing Tallulah well towards her £5,000 target for The Brain Tumour Charity.
Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of people under 40 in the UK — yet survival rates have barely improved in 40 years. Every day, 36 people in the UK hear the words “you have a brain tumour.”
“Brain tumours are a devastating disease,” said Tallulah. “I’m taking on this challenge not only to honour Lexi’s memory, but to help raise awareness of the reality so many families face.”
She said she knew the challenge would test her to her limits — but was clear about what would carry her through.
“If I struggle, I’ll remind myself that any pain or exhaustion I feel is temporary,” she said. “Lexi, and so many others lost to brain tumours, never got the opportunity to take on challenges like this or continue living the lives they deserved.”
Stacey Vincent, from The Brain Tumour Charity’s community fundraising team, said Tallulah’s dedication was an inspiration. “It’s through the incredible efforts of people like Tallulah that we can change these shocking statistics in the future,” she said.
Anyone wishing to support Tallulah’s challenge can donate via her fundraising page at thebraintumourcharity.org.
