On April 26, 2026, thousands will run the TCS London Marathon. For three runners, the day means far more—they’re running for family, remembrance, and hope.
For actor Luke Macfarlane and his partner Hig Roberts, along with Hig’s siblings Cassady and Dylan, every step continues a legacy.
This April, their family will run the London Marathon and raise their voices in honor of their late brother, Murphy, who passed away from type 1 diabetes (T1D) complications.
For them, this race has a deeper significance: It’s a tribute.
It’s a promise.
And it’s a call to action.
A Diagnosis That Changed Everything
Murphy Roberts was just 11 years old when he was diagnosed with T1D. Before then, his family had little firsthand understanding of the disease. After his diagnosis, everything changed.
Like so many families, the Roberts quickly learned that T1D does not affect just one person—it changes the rhythm of an entire household. There are blood sugar checks, sleepless nights, constant vigilance, and the awareness that it is a disease that must be managed 24 hours a day.
The family rallied around Murphy from the beginning while also working hard to protect his independence. He learned early how to advocate for himself at school, at ski practice, and in daily life. And through it all, he refused to let T1D define him.
A Life Full of Adventure
Murphy loved Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and everything mountain life has to offer— skiing, biking, hiking, rivers, trails, and long days outside. His older brother, Dylan Roberts, describes him as a “classic Steamboat kid,” someone known and loved across their close-knit community.
Cassady remembers her younger brother Murphy as spontaneous, adventurous, funny, and fiercely determined—someone who would disappear onto a trail or get caught up on a bike ride simply because he loved being out in the world. Hig recalls how physically driven and goal-oriented Murphy was, always up for a challenge and often taking things one step further than everyone else.
That spirit is something his family still carries with them today.
Turning Grief into Purpose
In one cherished family memory, Murphy jumped into Cassady’s first marathon to run beside her and cheer her on to the finish—an image that now feels especially fitting as his family takes on this year’s London Marathon in his honor.
“He wanted to support his sister and get her to the finish line,” Dylan said. “That’s one of the final memories I have of Murphy.”
Years later, that support has come full circle.
When Hig, Cassady, and Luke decided to run the London Marathon with the Breakthrough T1D Run team, they saw it as a meaningful way to honor Murphy while helping create a future where no family faces the same loss.
“Running a marathon is hard, and the training takes a lot of time,” Cassady said. “But it’s a tangible way to raise money for something that really mattered to Murphy and is improving the lives of people like him.”
Luke, who has a family connection to diabetes research through his grandfather’s friendship with Sir Frederick Banting, says supporting this cause felt natural from the start. Becoming part of Hig’s family gave that connection new meaning.
“The more I’ve gotten to know Dylan, Cassady, and their mom and dad, so much of them is shaped by the loss of Murphy,” Luke said. “I’m very grateful to be part of it and to help honor his memory and keep his name alive.”
Breakthrough T1D Run is More Than a Race
By joining the Breakthrough T1D Run team in the London Marathon, the Roberts family and Luke are helping raise critical funds and awareness to accelerate progress. The Breakthrough T1D Run program unites runners around the world who believe every mile can help fuel breakthroughs.
Participants run in major marathons, community races, and personal challenges—all with one shared goal: creating a future where type 1 diabetes no longer exists.
Every mile a runner logs helps power research, advocacy, and support for the millions of people worldwide living with T1D.
For Hig, Cassady, and Luke, those miles honor Murphy’s memory and carry his spirit forward.
Finding Community
Hig says being around runners who live with T1D is both humbling and inspiring.
“To really see firsthand how people who are living with this disease tackle something as crazy as a marathon is incredibly eye-opening,” he said. “It makes me feel very close to Murphy.”
As Luke sees it, the marathon is not only a physical challenge but also a reflection of resilience itself.
“When it gets really hard,” he said, “I just sort of go, ‘Wow, this is hard,’ but keep going.”
That mindset resonates deeply in the T1D community, where perseverance is part of everyday life.
And that is one reason this run means so much to the family—they are joining a community that understands that every mile can help power progress.
Join the Movement
Cassady, Hig, and Luke are running for Murphy, and for breakthroughs that improve life now—and for the cures we still need. As the London Marathon nears, the family hopes their journey inspires others to take action.
Whether it’s running, donating, or sharing their story, every effort helps move our mission forward—because this is more than a race. It’s a movement, and every mile brings us closer to cures.
Forrest Johnson is no stranger to endurance. An avid runner, he’s completed 56 marathons, including one in every U.S. state and three of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. But when his four-year-old daughter Mary Blair was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in 2016, every step took on a new purpose—to run for Mary Blair and for everyone living with T1D.
It’s National Diabetes Awareness Month, and Forrest marked the occasion by embarking on a globe-spanning, 184-mile sprint with The Great World Race: seven marathons across seven continents in just seven days. He fundraised for breakthroughs with Breakthrough T1D My Run the whole way, too!
Things kicked off on Saturday, November 15, with a frozen runway dash in Wolf’s Fang, Antarctica, followed by contests in Cape Town for Africa, Perth for Australia, Abu Dhabi for Asia, Algarve for Europe, and Cartagena for South America before the North American finisher on Friday, November 21, at sunny South Beach in Miami.
Lisa Fishbone Wallack, Chair of Breakthrough T1D’s International Board of Directors, met Forrest at this year’s Chicago Marathon and is excited to cheer him on.
“Our community lifts one another up every day,” Wallack said. “Forrest’s intercontinental journey putting in the miles for T1D is an extraordinary example of the dedication and resilience of our community.”
Ready to race
This isn’t Breakthrough T1D’s first brush with intercontinental track-and-field (in 2019, Eric Tozer became one of the first people with T1D to complete the race) but Forrest carried the strength of his family and the hopes of countless others who dream of a world without T1D to all seven continents. And he says being a parent to a child with T1D is a lot like running a marathon—preparation is key but so is expecting the unexpected.
“Whether it’s a hot race or rain, an insulin pump malfunction or a stubborn low that won’t come up; you must be prepared for adversity, and you have to have the mindset that you will persevere,” Forrest said. “No matter what, quitting is not an option.”
Backcountry beginnings
When Mary Blair was diagnosed in 2016, Forrest was in the backcountry at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.
“The camp sent a ranger to track our group down and told me I needed to call home immediately,” he said. “I was devastated. I remember standing on top of a rock at a high point trying to get a cell signal.”
“Mary Blair was a healthy, happy, perfect four-year-old and it was extremely frustrating that there was nothing I could do to fix it,” he added.
Almost a decade later, Forrest has some advice for parents navigating a recent diagnosis.
“Take a deep breath. It’s going to get better, but not tomorrow,” he said. “Life will eventually improve and there will be a new normal.”
Giving yourself grace
He also stresses the importance of “giving yourself grace” to process the emotions that naturally come as a part of learning your child is now living with T1D.
“It’s OK to be mad and it’s OK to be frustrated, for a while, but you have to turn the corner and channel the negative emotions for good,” Forrest said. “The children that live with T1D are resilient and tough. This resiliency and toughness can lead them to very successful paths. This is my hope for Mary Blair, and for all the children living with T1D.”
And that resiliency and grit is the fuel Forrest uses when running to push through “the wall” and keep moving forward.
“There are no days off with T1D and Mary Blair teaches me to show up every single day and every single mile,” Forrest said. “I apply this principal to running and take the mindset that I will persevere no matter what.”
Plus, Forrest says, momentum breeds confidence—and that helps you reach the finish line.
“This is exactly how I think about the great work Breakthrough T1D is doing,” he said. “Each step, each breakthrough is getting us closer and closer to our goal of a world without T1D. It’s not a question of if it will happen, but a question of when.”
