Jess Warner Judd will line up for the 2026 London Marathon after a harrowing episode that saw her collapse with a seizure during the 2024 European Championships 10,000m final. The 31‑year‑old, who placed eighth at the 2023 World Championships, was later diagnosed with focal epilepsy, a condition that had forced doctors to warn she might have to retire.

Warner Judd’s return was anything but smooth. After a second seizure in Rome forced hospitalization, she spent months in therapy and struggled to run a mile in twelve minutes, far slower than her sub‑two‑minute 800m best. Medication finally steadied the seizures, and a breakthrough performance at the New York Marathon saw her finish seventh in 2:24:45, just two seconds shy of Sifan Hassan.

Now based in Clitheroe with husband Rob, the former PhD student balances training on Lancashire hills with a part‑time supermarket job. While she leaves the door open for a track comeback, Warner Judd says her priority is enjoying running rather than chasing medals. Her London Marathon debut will mark a full‑circle moment fourteen years after winning the Mini London event.