Total Marketing MD Takes on 44-Mile Challenge for the Royal Marines Charity

Total Marketing MD Liz Hutchings is preparing to take on a huge 44-mile endurance challenge this September, raising money for RMA – The Royal Marines Charity as part of the Braver Together Community Challenge.

If Liz has seemed slightly more tired than usual on a Teams call recently, there's a very

good reason.

Our MD has agreed to cover 44 miles on foot across one weekend – and she only signed up at the end of June.

Since then, Liz has spent the summer fitting some serious training around running Total Marketing and her other businesses, looking after clients and having two children home for the school holidays.

But behind the slightly bonkers training schedule is a challenge that means a huge amount to Liz personally.

This September, she'll join a group of her military-wife friends for the Braver Together Community Challenge, raising vital funds for RMA – The Royal Marines Charity.

A Challenge That Brings Liz's Military Family Journey Full Circle

Long before Total Marketing existed, Liz was travelling to Lympstone to support her husband as he trained to become a Royal Marine at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines.

She attended Families Day and Ladies Night before eventually watching him complete his

passing out parade.

The years that followed brought the highs, lows and unpredictability of military family life: moves around the country, deployments, a period living in the Cotswolds, two daughters and eventually settling in Poole.

This spring, Liz's husband left the military.

Poole is now home and where they plan to raise their girls, which makes the route of this particular challenge especially poignant.

Liz said:

"I've been a military wife for pretty much my entire adult life. I remember going to Lympstone when my husband was in training, attending Families Day and Ladies Night and then watching his passing out parade.

"Fast forward through years of military life, moves, two children and everything else, and we've ended up here in Poole.

"My husband left the military this spring and this is now home – it's where we'll raise our girls. So doing this challenge this year feels incredibly fitting.

"Poole represents where our family is now, while Lympstone represents where that huge chapter of our lives began. There's definitely something quite emotional about connecting the two."

What Is the Braver Together Community Challenge?

The challenge will see Liz and a group of her military-wife friends cover 44 miles across two days.

On Friday, they'll tackle approximately 22 miles from Poole to Lulworth, before camping overnight at Freshwater Beach.

After a recovery day, they'll be back on their feet on Sunday for another 22 miles from

Seaton to Lympstone, finishing at the home of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines.

That's 44 miles, two very long days on foot and a night in a tent thrown into the middle for good measure.

And she'll be completing it alongside women who have shared many of the same experiences of military family life.

"Some of these friendships have survived moves, deployments, children, careers and everything else life has thrown at us," said Liz.

"So I suspect we'll be relying quite heavily on those friendships somewhere around mile 40!"

Fitting 44-Mile Challenge Training Around Running a Business

There was one slight problem with agreeing to an endurance challenge at the end of June: almost the entire training window fell during the school summer holidays.

With little more than two months to prepare, Liz has had to rapidly increase her mileage

while continuing to run Total Marketing, Total Guide to and Total Business Network, support clients and juggle family life.

Weekends have regularly involved around 19 miles on a Saturday, with training routes taking her around Poole, the Purbecks and along the Dorset coast.

Then on Sunday, she gets up and does another 10 – 13 miles.

Yes, voluntarily.

Those back-to-back sessions are helping prepare her legs – and mind – for the reality of completing another 22 miles when they're already tired.

During the week, she's fitted shorter runs and interval sessions around work alongside strength and cardio training.

Holidays, weekends away and family camping trips haven't provided much of an escape either.

"I've basically had to fit the miles wherever they'll go," Liz explained.

"There have been early starts on holidays and camping trips, getting out before everyone else wakes up, and most weekends have involved a really long Saturday session followed by another decent run on Sunday.

"It's definitely been a lesson in fitting training around work and family rather than waiting for the perfect time to do it – because there isn't one!"

Making Training Work Around Family Life

Rather than allowing training to take over the family's summer, Liz has tried to incorporate it into everyday life wherever possible.

Family camping trips have meant early starts to get the miles completed before everyone

wakes up, while swimming with her daughters at local beaches and rivers has doubled as a way of gently moving tired legs after longer sessions.

Her daughters have therefore become very much part of the challenge too.

"They've watched me disappear off on the long runs, they've joined me for the recovery swims and they've definitely heard quite a lot about how tired Mum's legs are!

"But military life was always something we experienced as a family, so I actually love that they're part of this too."

Supporting RMA – The Royal Marines Charity

Behind the jokes about mileage and tired legs is the reason Liz and the Braver Together team are putting themselves through the challenge.

They're raising money for RMA – The Royal Marines Charity, which provides lifelong support to serving and former Royal Marines and their families.

The charity's work includes welfare, mental health and wellbeing, financial assistance, recovery and rehabilitation, employment and support with the transition out of military life.

For Liz, it's a community that has shaped much of her adult life.

"Military life doesn't just affect the person wearing the uniform. It becomes part of life for the whole family.

"You learn to adapt to moves, deployments, time apart and plans changing at the last minute, but you also become part of an incredible community.

"Being a military wife has shaped a huge part of my adult life and given me some amazing friendships, so doing something difficult together while raising money to support that community feels really special."

Braver Together Is Aiming Even Higher in 2026

Last year, the generosity of individuals and local businesses helped the Braver Together team raise more than £9,300.

This year, they're hoping to go even further.

As the Braver Together Community Challenge grows, the aim is not only to raise money but to bring together the military and wider local business community, creating connections and opportunities along the way.

TC, Braver Together challenge organiser, military wife and serving military personnel, said:

"We are incredibly proud to be part of such a supportive local business and military community. Last year, the generosity of individuals and local businesses helped us raise over £9,300 – and this year, as we grow the Braver Together Community Challenge, we're aiming even higher.

"We would be hugely grateful for any support you can offer, whether that's a donation, a raffle prize for our upcoming Swish event in October, supplies to support our two-day coastal challenge, or simply helping us spread the word.

"Your support is not just about raising funds – it helps create connection, opportunities, and a stronger community for everyone involved. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference."

Can Our Business Community Get Behind the Braver Together Team?

We work with some brilliant businesses at Total Marketing, so we'd love to see our clients, partners and wider business community get behind Liz and the rest of the Braver Together team.

You can support them by:

• Donating through the team's JustGiving fundraising page

• Donating a raffle prize for the upcoming Braver Together Swish event in October

• Providing supplies for the two-day coastal challenge

• Sharing the fundraiser through your business or social media channels

• Simply helping spread the word

Every donation, share and offer of support can help.

Liz added:

"This challenge feels like a lovely way to mark the end of our own military chapter while

giving something back to a community that's been part of our lives for so long.

"I'm slightly terrified about how those final miles are going to feel, but I'm also incredibly proud to be doing it with these women.

"If anyone can spare even a few pounds to sponsor us, we'd be so grateful. And if you can't donate, please share it."

Support Liz's 44-Mile Charity Challenge

You can support Liz and the Braver Together team through their JustGiving fundraising page, with all donations helping RMA – The Royal Marines Charity continue its work supporting serving and former Royal Marines and their families.

From all of us at Total Marketing: Good Luck Liz and the rest of the Braver Together team! We'll be cheering you all the way to Lympstone ❤️