Welcome to my Run to Pegasus sponsorship page. Thank you for taking the time to visit and I hope you will read to the end and feel called to donate something, in whatever amount you feel appropriate. The supported charity really does do amazing work, as you will see.

This is for the Veterans, for the Fallen and for all their Families.

Intro: as those of you who know me well, running plays a big part in my life and I regularly race and take part in local races and usually one marathon per year.

So I was especially delighted to recently discover that Project 65 had since morphed into The Veterans Charity, a 'Rapid Reaction Force' of Support for Veterans in need.

I was also 'delighted' that they were organising a similar epic called 'Run to Pegasus'. 75 miles on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Whilst delighted, I was also very apprehensive indeed, on account of a triple whammy of injuries suffered in my left knee in February/early March: a suspected small ligament tear, expansive bursitis and/or runner's knee and to compound it all ... finally ... a severe infection following on from a deep cut suffered slipping on a challenging cross-country running course (that I didn't clean up properly before it was stitched, whilst rushing to catch a flight to India!).

So ... fast forward June 3rd/4th: last Monday evening (June 3rd), as I sat at home pondering the wisdom of even attempting 75 miles, when I had been able to run only 21 miles in total in the previous 14 weeks. I found myself very close to abandoning the whole plan, in that difficult emotional void somewhere between the runner's perceived 'shame' of the dreaded DNF (not finishing) and the very real and understandable fear of causing further damage to the knee.

What resulted, was an awful twilight zone of complete indecision and continued prevarication. And the cutoff time for me to leave and get to the startline on time was rapidly approaching ... it just seemed to make perfect sense to pass on Pegasus, protect the knee, and carry on with life as normal (hence I did not launch the fundraiser beforehand).

And yet, something much more powerful was calling me, bringing to my attention a deeper, tangible, urgent need to summon up one's courage to stand up for myself and for others. I do feel that the noble and courageous qualities of character of so many of those who served in WW2 and beyond (on both sides, it should be said) ought be honoured, in whatever small way one can.

So I decided that I could always drop out during the run if it came to that, and that the most important thing was to be present in Normandy, on Pegasus Bridge, and pay respects to the fallen, and their families. And to the veterans. So, off I drove down the A34 in the pouring rain, heading towards Tarrant Rushton in Dorset ... 

A bit more about the run: that evening, on June 4th,  a few minutes before 1800hrs, our assembled group of around 100 runners were ready to set off from the former Tarrant Rushton Airfield in Dorset. We were treated to a short rousing speech from General Sir Bob Pascoe, President of The Veterans Charity.

Then came a very moving moment - I literally had a lump in my throat - when we were officially started off, after a couple of minutes' speech from Reg Charles, 96. He is the last surviving WW2 veteran of the Ox and Bucks 2nd Light Infantry. A photo of Reg was on the front covers of several newspapers the next morning, including the Telegraph and The Mirror. I represented Private Leonard, who flew on Glider number 2.

Brief summary of the run:  all went reasonably well, until close to midnight, near the halfway point of the UK section (mile 31 of 62) my other knee seized up, with severe shooting pains, and I got a vehicle uplift to the half-way aid station 2 miles away. I really thought I'd give up at that stage, felt really disappointed with myself but could see no other realistic choice. It was extremely challenging, given the lack of possibility of proper preparation.

And yet, at that half-way point, we had an enforced minimum of one hour's rest, some good nosh, and I managed to put on two new heavy-duty knee supports. I opted to continue, come what may. Despite the many opportunities to drop out (we had an amazing support crew, and there were several minibuses nearby should we wish to get an 'uplift'), I resolved to finish ... and it was utterly excruciating in parts, and the hardest run I've ever done, but I finally arrived in Portsmouth at 10:05am on the Wednesday after completing the c. 60 mile UK run, and burst into tears of joy, pain, gratitude and surprise, both for myself and for the cause.

It was not a race, but I think I came in around 6th or 7th-ish, overtaking nine people in the final 10 miles. I was not in good shape and laid out exhausted and somewhat delirious for a few hours in our post-race HQ. Fortunately the medical team got me sorted, and after a hot shower, a hot meal and a hot drink, I started to feel vaguely human again. Later we boarded a night ferry to Normandy.

Next day, Thursday June 6th, around 11:15am, we made our way along the Caen Canal towpath to Pegasus Bridge, arriving at the iconic spot 75 years since those men of the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, and were treated to crossing the bridge to full applause from the large gathered crowds.

Later that afternoon, we made our way by minibus to the site of another bridge 10 miles away, where The Veterans Charity unveiled a plaque dedicated to the men of 22 Platoon who landed in glider No. 4, and who lost several men making their way back west to meet up with their Company.

I then hobbled, in extreme pain, the final approx 10-ish miles for a poignant ceremony at the original Pegasus Bridge, at the Pegasus Museum, somehow thereby completing the whole event (c. 72.2 miles), barring about 0.8 miles (I also did an extra 1.2 miles when walking back to a missed water station).

Whilst many others then enjoyed a few beers and a laugh in the Cafe Gondrée nearby (the first building liberated in France), I collapsed into my tent, and at last got a full night's sleep through the heavy rainstorms, after only two hours sleep since Monday!

A big thank you to everyone involved, the people I ran with, the support crews, the families and members of the public who cheered us on, messages from my running club, and to new friendships made. Despite the pain, it was also tremendous fun.

Both Project 65, and this year's Run to Pegasus, support the Veterans Charity, which provides immediate support to Veterans of all generations who face hardship and distress. It provides essential items
like food, clothing and other household essentials within a very short space of time. There’s no red tape. It's a Rapid Reaction Support Force!

Increasingly, many veterans are in considerable need, with levels of poor mental health noticeably rising, and central government support beset by 'red tape' delays, or simply absent. We are all aware of the homeless issue in the UK, and I find it tragic that over 60,000 UK forces veterans exist ‘on the margins’.

During the 'Run to Pegasus' event, Danny Greeno, CEO of the Veterans Charity, had NINE cases referred to him. Help to ALL nine has already been actioned or is being completed today (June 9th).

"That’s NINE Veterans who were in distress due to dire hardship, some
having not eaten for 2-3 days, getting the vital provisions they so
urgently need, without a hint of delay or ‘Red Tape’. Two also got brand
new clothing and footwear as they had arrived at specialist locations
off the streets with nothing but the clothes on their backs." Danny Greeno. As someone once said on The Forces March....... “every few steps is another tin of beans innit!”

So, please donate if you feel called to do so, and any and all amounts will be very gratefully received and personally acknowledged by me. I have pledged to raise a minimum of £1,000, and the deadline for donations is the end of September 2019, by which time I hope to have fully recovered !! Please note that all the race costs are covered, so 100% of the money raised goes directly to the charity. With much gratitude to any of you who are able and willing to offer support.

In conclusion: my participation in this run was simply my gesture of appreciation for all living veterans, for those who don't make it back, for those who are struggling … and for all their families.

On a personal note. I am a civilian, but my grandfather landed in Normandy on D-Day + 4 and I really wanted to honour him too, and to try to understand something of what he may have gone through. Seeing the thousands of graves at Ranville, on June 6th, of young soldiers who died in the days, weeks and months after D-Day, when he would have also been in the general area, showed me just how lucky he was to survive. And how very fortunate my family and I were, to have been able to get to know him.

I carried a photo of him with me throughout 'Run to Pegasus'.