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Have you ever been laughed at when you’ve said you wanted to do something or told someone your goals??

Let me take you back to the start of my story….in 2020 I was 112 KG’s and my average lunch involved walking to co op for a meal deal, a pack of 6 sausage rolls and a pack of hobnobs. I was a PE teacher but not a role model in terms of physical ability or lifestyle.

Those who know me understand that I’m very direct and say it how it is, but being told your fat constantly can have two effects on you, you either become low or you do something about it…..my mentality changed and all of a sudden I didn’t want to be fat and I wanted to do something that would challenge myself and take myself back to sporting fitness and change my lifestyle.

In May 2020 I did a 2.75km run around Brockwell park and couldn’t walk for days later, it was embarrassing how unfit I was and I started to worry about my general levels of fitness as I’m getting older.

I decided to set myself a goal of trying to run 5k…..at no surprise to myself, some people supported me and others laughed at me. I went out and ran 5k in 27 minutes, spurred on by people that told me I couldn’t do it. Having completed that I thought, let’s train and do a 10k  It was easy to train for and I enjoyed it, my times got faster so I signed up for a half in 2021. More people ridiculed me and said I wouldn’t do it, but I took that ridicule and used it to train, I completed London landmarks in 1 hour 52 minutes. It was horrible and I decided that was it for me and running. 

I continued running and saw a link to the London marathon, I questioned if I could do it and was told it was a long way and probably wasn’t for me and I wouldn’t be able to do it…..so I signed up for it (thanks to a great friend that got me in!)  trained for it and completed the London marathon in 2022. I couldn’t believe it, ultimately the respect changed towards me, I was in the shape of my life and people were asking me how I changed my life and the way I look so much. My answer is discipline and goals, I train at 5am, no matter the weather or where I am. I train after work and organise myself and never ever have an excuse for not doing it, I always find an excuse to do it! 

Fast forward a year and I think I’ve achieved everything, I’m still running and complete a half without any notice. I can run a sub 20 5K, regularly smash out 10k plus and run an average of 35k a week. I’m so proud of my fitness levels and what I’ve achieved but someone brings up completing Brighton and London marathon in the space of 2 weeks. Lo and behold someone looks at me and says ‘you can’t do two marathons in two weeks, you’ll be too tired and you get injured.’

So here I am, tell me what I can’t do and I’ll sign up and prove you wrong. In April 2024 I will run Brighton and London in the space of two weeks. I will complete it and absolutely nothing will stop me from doing so. 

Sometimes I run and it’s not for charity, but thinking about Wizz kids it hit me hard. For myself and most people the challenge of changing our lives is easy, I was able to put on a pair of trainers and run, not everyone has access to simply do sport. I love sport and it’s my life. If I’m not running I am wasting thousands of pounds a year watching spurs play, I played football my whole life and I’ve dedicated my career so far for 14 years to teaching PE and giving access to sport to everyone. For some of us sport is everything and without the challenge of sport we wouldn’t achieve what we have achieved in life, for me, I’m nothing without sport. I love the challenge, the competitiveness, but most of all I absolutely love it when someone tells me I cannot do something so I can prove the haters wrong.

Over 75,000 young people in the UK need to use a wheelchair to be mobile. Unfortunately, they cannot access the equipment that meets their needs through local services. We're here for all of them.Whizz Kidz are the UK’s leading charity supporting young wheelchair users up to 25 years old. They empower young wheelchair users with the equipment, support, and confidence-building experiences they need to take an active role in society. The Whizz Kidz goal is to create a movement for progress towards a more open and accessible world.