Bryony Gordon explains how she and a plus-size model ended up training to run the London Marathon in just their underwear later this month
Like all my favourite stories, this one starts with me meeting a gorgeous woman, and ends with us both in our underwear. That’s just a joke. Sort of.
Last May, I was introduced to Jada Sezer, the plus-size model, over a table of sports bras in a LuluLemon shop.
The brand had invited us both on a yoga weekend, and I had accepted because of the promise of free leggings.
As a curvier lady, I love leggings. They’re just so . . . stretchy.
Anyway, we were also offered a free bra, which is when I met Jada – both of us rooting through mounds of A, B and C cups in search of something “roomier”.
As is so often the case with plus-size items, there was only one H cup on the table. I let her have it. A beautiful friendship was born.
I had just completed the London Marathon (did I mention I ran a marathon?) and was still a bit high from the experience.
Jada was intrigued as to how I, a woman officially classed as obese if you took BMI into consideration, had got on running 26.2 miles (42km).
I told her the truth: that it had been one of the best days of my life, and that the training had completely transformed my outlook on things.
When I started my journey to the marathon in October 2016, I was almost 16½ stone (105kg) and couldn’t run for a bus. I didn’t think I would be able to do exercise without being laughed at – I thought only slim people were afforded that privilege. I didn’t know how to make the jump from sofa surfer to park runner and frankly, it seemed an impossible task.
Then work sent me on a boot camp, and I realised I had no choice: my fitness journey began. It was transformative.
Physically, I lost almost 3st (19kg) (though the BMI still classed me as obese, just). Mentally, I gained a lot more. I was telling Jada all of this as we walked to another yoga session that weekend, and she casually mentioned that she’d love to run a marathon, even though she’d never really run before.
“I’ll do it with you!” I said, jumping up and down on the spot. “I will pass on what I was lucky enough to learn!” So that was that. Except it wasn’t.
Jada’s hectic modelling schedule (she has worked with brands including L’Oréal, Asos and Nike) meant she was often out of the country, so we only began training together properly in February.

As we ran longer and longer distances, we got to know one another better. There is something very bonding about being forced out of your comfort zone with someone...