'I had to wet myself - I'm not ashamed of it'

Lucja Leonard was on track to beat her personal record at the Manchester Marathon this year - when it suddenly dawned on her that she needed the toilet.

Weighing up her options, she realised it was going to take her at least three minutes to use a Portaloo, and that would mean adding crucial time onto her race.

Having suffered with urinary incontinence for 10 years, the dilemma wasn't unusual for her. An experienced marathon runner, she normally stops around three times during the average race.

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But this time, being so close to a personal record for the 26-mile race, Lucja made the decision it was worth the potential embarrassment to wet herself.

An author and inspirational speaker, Lucja, originally from Edinburgh, is now sharing her experience in a bid to break down the stigma around incontinence - and encourage other women not to let it put them off running.

The 44-year-old first started running at the age of 26 and completed her first marathon five years later in 2010. But after finishing her first ultra marathon in 2013, she started to experience urinary incontinence, which she says affected her running.

"I never experienced issues with my pelvic floor until I started running," she said, speaking to the PA News Agency. "I know that other women in the running community suffer from the same issue, but nobody talks about it. Sometimes there’s just no holding it in.

"I start my race and within an hour I already have to stop to pee in a bush. It’s frustrating and affects me mentally when I see other runners pass by. To hit a personal best during my last road marathon in Manchester, I knew I would have to wet myself at the end of the race.

"In a