I lost my dad to Alzheimer’s in 2018. Since then, I’ve run four marathons for Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) — not just to honour him, but to help make sure other families don’t have to go through the same heartbreak.

Running helped me cope with losing him to this devastating disease, and sharing his story through volunteer talks eventually led me to Oxford University, where I now work distributing an ARUK-funded grant. This grant supports ground-breaking dementia research across the Thames Valley Network — a collaboration between Oxford University, Oxford Brookes, and Reading University and it is one of 12 other UK wide Networks which ARUK also fund.

Having seen the amazing breadth of work that goes on, I am passionate about bringing both sides of the story together: fundraisers and researchers; and this has resulted in bringing together a team of brilliant scientists to swap lab coats for running shoes and run the Oxford Half Marathon in October.

👉 Please visit our Running Researchers. team page and support the area of research that moves you. Every donation, no matter the size, helps bring us closer to a cure.

https://www.justgiving.com/team/aruk-running-researchers

Let’s run for hope, for change — and for families like mine.