Story
I am not a natural athlete. This will come as a huge surprise to many of you I know. Yes I feel at home on a rugby field, but there I can hide my inadequacies behind 14 friends,. Even on a road bike I can stop every few hours to gorge myself on cake with and stare at JFK's arse. But with running there is little place to hide, and few opportunities for cake.
Despite that, on September 25th I have chosen to run (or at least try) the 43rd Berlin Marathon. There are two reasons for this, neither of which is a passion for running, or any sense of competition whatsoever. The first is my very good friend Martin, who to look at him you would be forgiven for thinking I was running as his carer. Martin asked me whether I would run his first marathon with him and, buoyed by drink, I said yes. Martin could run this alone, but aside from the drunken confidence that it wouldn't be that hard, I could not think of any other way of telling him how proud I am of how far he has come over the past 18 months than to run alongside him.
The second reason is that I am cursed with having an extended family of ridiculously caring and committed souls, who selflessly devote their time and hearts for people who need it. In 2012 my cousin Rebecca Stewart set up a charity, the Teddington Trust, in order to raise awareness and support for her nephew, Edison, who at 13 months old was diagnosed with an extremely rare condition, Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP). Rebecca and Edison's mum, Nicola, with the support of many more people have now expanded to focus on XP sufferers more globally. Under their #bearsforrare project they are now able to reach out to children around the world with much needed, award winning patient education packs. They have reached over 150 children already - and you can help them reach more.
You can learn more about the extraordinary work of Teddington Trust here: http://www.teddingtontrust.com/about-us.html
Please do share whatever you can. It will help children directly and quickly, and it will make all the difference to me when my nipples are bleeding, my thighs are chaffed and my legs give way.
David
Despite that, on September 25th I have chosen to run (or at least try) the 43rd Berlin Marathon. There are two reasons for this, neither of which is a passion for running, or any sense of competition whatsoever. The first is my very good friend Martin, who to look at him you would be forgiven for thinking I was running as his carer. Martin asked me whether I would run his first marathon with him and, buoyed by drink, I said yes. Martin could run this alone, but aside from the drunken confidence that it wouldn't be that hard, I could not think of any other way of telling him how proud I am of how far he has come over the past 18 months than to run alongside him.
The second reason is that I am cursed with having an extended family of ridiculously caring and committed souls, who selflessly devote their time and hearts for people who need it. In 2012 my cousin Rebecca Stewart set up a charity, the Teddington Trust, in order to raise awareness and support for her nephew, Edison, who at 13 months old was diagnosed with an extremely rare condition, Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP). Rebecca and Edison's mum, Nicola, with the support of many more people have now expanded to focus on XP sufferers more globally. Under their #bearsforrare project they are now able to reach out to children around the world with much needed, award winning patient education packs. They have reached over 150 children already - and you can help them reach more.
You can learn more about the extraordinary work of Teddington Trust here: http://www.teddingtontrust.com/about-us.html
Please do share whatever you can. It will help children directly and quickly, and it will make all the difference to me when my nipples are bleeding, my thighs are chaffed and my legs give way.
David