Story
Thank you for visiting my just giving page!
By now I’m guessing you would have seen this year I have decided to run close to 500 kms across some of the most beautiful yet hostile areas of the world…. so far I have clocked up 1,000kms in training and now looking to clock up some well-deserved donations for the Charity S.A.F.E. (Supported Activities for Everyone)
My first race is in Sri Lanka which is just over a month away where I will be running 250kms (155 miles) over 5 days on a route that will take us through tea plantations, 10,000 year old rain forests, down rushing rivers and onto white sandy beaches. 5 weeks later I will be flying out to Peru to race in one of the most bio-diverse environments on earth, the Amazon Jungle. This will be a 230kms (143 miles) self-supported foot race (meaning I will be carrying a weeks worth of food and kit whilst running) starting at 3,000m above sea level working its way down through the sweltering jungle valley (with mother nature throwing in the odd monster mountain climb in between), choked with mud and humidity the trail is broken by river crossing after crossing all whilst desperately trying to avoid being attacked by animals, insects, plants, and anything else that takes its fancy!
Having spoken to many people a lot of you have labelled it as “crazy”, “nuts”, “stupid”, “I don’t understand why you would do something like this?…”, and importantly “why?….”
So this is my main ‘why’… my sister, Lucy.
As some of you may be aware my older sister Lucy has Downs Syndrome, which is a congenital disorder arising from a chromosome defect, causing learning difficulties and physical abnormalities. It arises from a defect involving chromosome 21, usually an extra copy (trisomy-21). Despite all this Lucy is a happy, active 30 year old who is making the most of her life in her own world (usually involving Disney
or the Spice Girls!)
Lucy lives in assisted living with a bunch of her friends all of which have some form of special needs whether that be physical, social
or learning disabilities and are supported by carers on a 24/7 basis. As part of this assisted living Lucy has been given the opportunity to live a semi-independent life over the past few years by learning basic everyday skills such as cooking, cleaning, earning (and spending) her own money, using public transport and social interaction with other people, all which is something many of us take for granted – it has honestly been amazing to see Lucy’s progress as a person.
None of this would be possible without my parents, Lucy’s care home and the charity S.A.F.E. (Supported Activities For Everyone) who provide opportunities for my sister and others with varying disabilities in a safe and supported environment to learn, socialise, move and ultimately grow as human beings which is something I strongly believe everyone has the right to do regardless of their ability. Without this support some of the people currently involved with S.A.F.E. would be left with no support network, often neglected and unfortunately in some cases abused and deprived of their basic human rights.
With this is mind I often remind myself that I am one of the lucky ones, who has the ability to do some pretty amazing things in life, no matter how hard or tough life gets for me there is always someone in a worse off position with no choice. This is my why… this is the reason why I have decided to run two Multi Stage Ultras this year, to raise money and to help those who require additional care and support.
So here’s where I need your help….
Over my two adventures this year I am on mission to raise as much money for the S.A.F.E. charity who rely on charitable donations and fundraising events in order to keep providing opportunities for people like my sister and her friends within a safe environment. So bearing this in mind and the state that my feet will likely be in on 7th June please may I kindly ask for you to help support me in donating to this great cause and help change the lives of some amazing people.
Any donations would mean the world to me and I know Lucy and all of her friends and staff at S.A.F.E. will greatly appreciate your support!
If you have any questions about the race, Lucy or the charity then please feel free to drop me a message. You can follow my the final weeks of training and some coverage of the races on my Instagram page @joshuahearnden
Essay over!
Thank You
Josh (of the jungle)
By now I’m guessing you would have seen this year I have decided to run close to 500 kms across some of the most beautiful yet hostile areas of the world…. so far I have clocked up 1,000kms in training and now looking to clock up some well-deserved donations for the Charity S.A.F.E. (Supported Activities for Everyone)
My first race is in Sri Lanka which is just over a month away where I will be running 250kms (155 miles) over 5 days on a route that will take us through tea plantations, 10,000 year old rain forests, down rushing rivers and onto white sandy beaches. 5 weeks later I will be flying out to Peru to race in one of the most bio-diverse environments on earth, the Amazon Jungle. This will be a 230kms (143 miles) self-supported foot race (meaning I will be carrying a weeks worth of food and kit whilst running) starting at 3,000m above sea level working its way down through the sweltering jungle valley (with mother nature throwing in the odd monster mountain climb in between), choked with mud and humidity the trail is broken by river crossing after crossing all whilst desperately trying to avoid being attacked by animals, insects, plants, and anything else that takes its fancy!
Having spoken to many people a lot of you have labelled it as “crazy”, “nuts”, “stupid”, “I don’t understand why you would do something like this?…”, and importantly “why?….”
So this is my main ‘why’… my sister, Lucy.
As some of you may be aware my older sister Lucy has Downs Syndrome, which is a congenital disorder arising from a chromosome defect, causing learning difficulties and physical abnormalities. It arises from a defect involving chromosome 21, usually an extra copy (trisomy-21). Despite all this Lucy is a happy, active 30 year old who is making the most of her life in her own world (usually involving Disney
or the Spice Girls!)
Lucy lives in assisted living with a bunch of her friends all of which have some form of special needs whether that be physical, social
or learning disabilities and are supported by carers on a 24/7 basis. As part of this assisted living Lucy has been given the opportunity to live a semi-independent life over the past few years by learning basic everyday skills such as cooking, cleaning, earning (and spending) her own money, using public transport and social interaction with other people, all which is something many of us take for granted – it has honestly been amazing to see Lucy’s progress as a person.
None of this would be possible without my parents, Lucy’s care home and the charity S.A.F.E. (Supported Activities For Everyone) who provide opportunities for my sister and others with varying disabilities in a safe and supported environment to learn, socialise, move and ultimately grow as human beings which is something I strongly believe everyone has the right to do regardless of their ability. Without this support some of the people currently involved with S.A.F.E. would be left with no support network, often neglected and unfortunately in some cases abused and deprived of their basic human rights.
With this is mind I often remind myself that I am one of the lucky ones, who has the ability to do some pretty amazing things in life, no matter how hard or tough life gets for me there is always someone in a worse off position with no choice. This is my why… this is the reason why I have decided to run two Multi Stage Ultras this year, to raise money and to help those who require additional care and support.
So here’s where I need your help….
Over my two adventures this year I am on mission to raise as much money for the S.A.F.E. charity who rely on charitable donations and fundraising events in order to keep providing opportunities for people like my sister and her friends within a safe environment. So bearing this in mind and the state that my feet will likely be in on 7th June please may I kindly ask for you to help support me in donating to this great cause and help change the lives of some amazing people.
Any donations would mean the world to me and I know Lucy and all of her friends and staff at S.A.F.E. will greatly appreciate your support!
If you have any questions about the race, Lucy or the charity then please feel free to drop me a message. You can follow my the final weeks of training and some coverage of the races on my Instagram page @joshuahearnden
Essay over!
Thank You
Josh (of the jungle)