My  Dad was an avid sportsman. He was an accomplished rugby player and a talented athlete. In his early 40s a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis forced him to retire from his own sporting endeavours. This didn’t stop his keen interest on  my  sporting pursuits. If I was competing, he was supporting, in person when he could but always in spirit. 

By nature I am a sprinter but during the Covid lockdown I decided to learn to “run”. It took a long time to change my mindset to deal with running for longer but Dad was always there with his advice and support  If my Strava was on he was following, he was always the first to congratulate me on fastening my shoelaces and getting out there  

In 2021 I signed up for the Chelmsford Half, this was delayed due to Covid so on the original date for the race I ran a Virtual Half, which Dad followed on Strava, he’d missed the memo that I was running 13 miles and was quite disconcerted when I kept turning away from home! 

A month after my Virtual Half Dad passed away. The medication he had taken for his RA contributed to a diagnosis of Pulmonary Fibrosis, a battle he could not win. With the loss of my biggest supporter I found it hard to carry on the training. 

I’m running the Maldon Half to do justice to Dad’s memory, to raise awareness of rheumatoid arthritis and to raise money for the Orthopaedic Institute. Their work towards kinder treatments and ultimately a cure for RA is invaluable to anyone who is affected by this debilitating and degenerative condition.