Story
Andy Runs Marathons for Mum!
NEXT:
🏴Cardiff Half Marathon - October 4th 2026
🇺🇸New York Marathon
COMPLETED:
🇬🇧London - April 23rd 2023 ⏱️5hrs 3mins 44secs
🇩🇪Berlin - Sept 21st 2025⏱️5hrs 47mins 22secs
THE WHY⁉️
If you've made it this far, then I thank you! Believe me when I say, I am NOT a runner and as I get increasingly old, it becomes even more of an uphill challenge (sometimes literally)
So the obvious question then is: WHY!? Why would you do this?!
Autumn 2021 was a really hard time. A lot of difficult things were happening and then, to make things extra horrible, my mum (Una) died.
She’d had MS for 10 years.
She was a supportive, kind and generous lady. We didn’t always talk as much as we should but I loved her. She certainly didn’t deserve MS.
MS is an unpredictable and incurable condition that affects people's nervous systems. It can attack suddenly or progress steadily, bringing a range of symptoms which can include sight loss, incontinence, fatigue and mobility problems. No-one with MS can be sure when or how it will affect them next.
Mum got diagnosed with MS in 2012 and by 2016 she was bed bound and, while she had bad days, she fought against it as best as she could and remained loving of her family and friends.
After she passed, I started running as my way of coping and grieving. It gave me something to occupy my brain during a time where I just wanted to give up. And of course, due to my love of a challenge, I signed up to do something difficult (of course at that point it seemed so far in the distance, it didn’t seem real)
As I said I’m not a natural runner and it’s been a real challenge. Frozen in winter. Sunburns in summer. Shin splints. Plantar fasciitis. Blisters. Losing (multiple) toenails. IT band inflammations. Passing out at my first 16 miles (literally). Pulling groin muscles. And just generally being terrified.
But every horrible step is worth it if it helps raise money to stop this awful disease.
If you do feel inclined, please do sponsor me. The MS Society do amazing work and need every penny of support! No one should have to go through what mum went through.
Thank you. Love you. Bye. ❤️