A 20-year-old woman from Taunton is preparing to take on the South West Coast Ultra Challenge later this month as she celebrates her remarkable recovery from anorexia and raises money for the UK’s eating disorder charity, Beat.
Tabitha White will join thousands of participants taking part in the South West Coast Ultra Challenge on Saturday, July 25, along the spectacular Exmoor and North Devon coastline. The event attracts around 1,500 runners, walkers and joggers tackling distances of 50km, 25km and 10km.
Originally, Tabitha had signed up for the 50km challenge, but has recently made the decision to switch to the 10km distance due to health considerations as she continues her recovery journey.
She said: “Due to the heat and medical circumstances I’ve had to drop to the 10k on the day and build 40k across more walks thereafter to suit me medically at the moment and it’s still a huge achievement considering where I was this time last year.”
For Tabitha, simply being able to take on the challenge is a powerful symbol of how far she has come in the past 12 months.
In July 2024, she set out with what she believed was a healthy goal of improving her fitness and lifestyle. However, what began as a desire to make positive changes quickly spiralled into an eating disorder.
“August came and went, and suddenly it had developed,” she said. “The food I ate wasn’t pure enough, the calories weren’t low enough and I myself wasn’t skinny enough.”
By September, Tabitha was losing between two and three kilograms a week and had become fixated on achieving an ever-changing idea of perfection. By October, she was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa.
Despite the dramatic weight loss, she says she had lost much more than that, adding: “I’d lost weight but, in the process, I’d lost myself too. I was too tired for a witty comeback or to sing along to the Gillette advert. I was fading at an obscene rate.”
Her recovery proved just as challenging as the illness itself. Tabitha attended weekly appointments with dietitians and therapists, underwent regular medical assessments and relied heavily on the support of family and friends.
She said: “There were times I slept in my parents’ room because I was terrified I wouldn’t wake up. It was excruciating not just for me but for the network around me. It wasn’t just me anymore – anorexia was in everyone around me too.”
Tabitha also believes obsessive behaviours associated with OCD played a role in reinforcing her eating disorder, making it harder to break away from rigid routines and safe circumstances.
After months of treatment and support, she began to regain both her physical health and sense of self. She said: “It clicked. It was my life to live and I was going to live it.”
Today, she describes herself as healthy, happy and thriving and hopes sharing her story will offer encouragement to others facing similar struggles. That’s why she has chosen to support Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, which provides support to people affected by eating disorders as well as their families and friends.
Reflecting on her motivation for taking part in the challenge, Tabitha said: “I’m doing the challenge because I’ve seen the dark days, months, years even and I found that letting the light back in meant embracing the support that deep down I knew I needed and that I was extremely lucky to receive.
“Beat are one of the incredible charities that work to relieve this darkness and make it momentary. Whatever I can do to contribute to someone seeing in their next chapter I will.
“For everyone it’s different but for me anorexia felt indefinite. I can liken it to checking in without knowing when you’ll leave, if you’ll leave or even where the door is if you finally get to go. But the door is there and behind it was the rest of my life. That’s why I’m walking, because all those doors deserve to be found, opened and lived.”
To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/page/tabandneiltake50
The South West Coast Ultra Challenge takes place on Saturday, July 25, with participants able to walk, jog or run routes through some of the region’s most spectacular coastal scenery.
Entries are still open at: www.ultrachallenge.com/sw-coast-50/
With thanks to New Reach
