Giant strides

Five inspiring women show off skin as they take on half marathon

- BY LUCY LAING

Dressed in bright pink Lycra with backless tops, these five women proudly stood out as they ran the London Landmarks Half Marathon.

Catching glimpses from others, they displayed their large brown birthmarks to champion the cause of people with a visible difference.

All five have congenital melanocytic naevus (CMN), a condition affecting just 1% of newborns that can cover up to 80% of the body.

But at the weekend they made giant strides in inspiring others by celebrating the launch of the #BareYourBirthmark national awareness campaign.

Runner Jodie Whitehouse, 45, chief executive of charity Caring Matters Now, which ran the initiative, says: "This sends a clear message - confidence doesn't come from unmarked skin, it comes from loving the skin you're in.

"Scars, birthmarks, skin grafts, skin conditions and surgical marks all tell a story and every story deserves to be seen and heard.

Jodie, of Liverpool, was running with Helen Stroud, 38, from Harrogate, North Yorks, who also works for the charity; Scarlett Clarke, 20, of Gloucester; Mia Deschenes, 19, of Edinburgh, and Gemma Whyatt, 31, of Cambridge.

Rachel Croshaw, from London Landmarks Half Marathon, says: "Their courage in running while proudly showing their birthmarks is truly inspiring.