It’s not often I say I feel intimidated, but this plan is ticking that box. The finale is a 100 mile run with 6000m elevation gain across the Brecon Beacons in July. That’s 160km, continuously, with a cutoff time of 40 hours, while climbing about 70% of the height of Everest from sea level. In preparation, I’ve signed up to two 50 mile races in March (Done! 10 hours) and May (Done! 11 hours), and a 75 mile race the length of the Isle of Skye at the end of May (DONE! Oof. 20 hours, clung on and came in 10th). Fun days out or something.

I thought that something good should come out of breaking my own knees, so I’m raising money. My chosen charity is Alzheimer’s research, particularly in memory of my grandmother and aunt, both of whom died of dementia. Anything you can give will spur me on, not just during what is almost certain to be the most painful couple of days of my life thus far, but also during the long, cold, dark, often wet, early morning runs that are the price of entry for this kind of thing. More on granny’s story below, which contains details of dementia. Cheers all x

Granny’s story.

Dementia is a cruel disease; slowly stealing away a person from those they love. For my grandmother, it started with her gradually becoming more forgetful, which we brushed off with the thought "oh she's just getting old". With time however, something much more insidious raised its head. Slowly, Granny lost the ability to care for herself, requiring daily visits from a team of dedicated carers, and as her condition advanced, these visits were no longer enough. The reality was that Granny lived over an hour from her immediate family, so even though she had an alert bracelet she was able to press in the event of an emergency, it was challenging for us to get to her quickly to understand what was going on. As months passed, Granny would get confused about where she was, and speak about “going home” at the end of the day, on one occasion she was found by a neighbour wandering around outside a nearby farm late at night.

Just as COVID lockdowns came into force in 2020, it was clear that the best place for granny was now a care home. We were lucky enough to find one for her by the sea, so that we could take her for walks in her wheelchair along the promenade when the sun was out. Slowly but surely, the inevitable happened as she retreated into herself, failing to recognise her grandchildren and children, and eventually losing the ability to hold conversation, spending most of her time asleep.

Dementia is cruel to those who suffer with it, driving confusion and disorientation, but maybe even moreso, dementia is cruel to those who care for and love the individuals losing themselves to the disease. Caring is always a heavy task, and it is made moreso when those you care for slowly drift away, don’t recognise you, and cannot demonstrate their love in return. I’ve witnessed the impact on my father and mother and wider family that my grandmother’s illness had, as well as other personal stories of friends and relatives affected by their own loved one’s journey. My heart goes out to you; you know who you are.

While dementia mainly directly affects the older generation, the ripple effect on their children and wider family is significant, loading care, administration and tough decision making onto those already bearing a heavy emotional load. I hope that raising money will help us understand our most complex organ, the brain, and further our quest for preventative and curative measures for dementia.