Today we had the great privilege to participate in the Northampton Half Marathon assisting two wonderful people living with motor neurone disease to complete the race in their wheelchairs. We were part of a large team of runners, friends both old and new, from the RunMND facebook group and the MND Association, the principal MND charity in the UK.
Both Dave Solomon and Joanne Cole were both very athletic prior to developing MND and both enjoyed the chance to participate again. MND is truly awful and effects each individual differently but with a similar pattern. Just sitting for any length of time can be uncomfortable when your muscles are so weak that you cannot adjust your position or hold your head up for prolonged periods. We had a bit of friendly rivalry during the 13.1 miles but crossed the line together, Dave and Joanne holding hands.It was the slowest half marathon I've ever run without a stormtrooper costume on but it was hugely satisfying to see how much enjoyment it brought two beautiful, defiant people.Meeting people fighting MND just hammers home how desperately we need a cure or effective treatment. Any sponsorship, no matter how small, will speed up the search for a cure for this wicked disease or make it easier for suffers to access the technology that enables them to communicate with their loved ones. The latter is not provided by the NHS, but funded by generous people like YOU. Thank you in advance.
Below is a link to the youtube video I filmed complete with cheesy soundtrack. It's 8.5 minutes long. If you haven't got the time to sit through it all, please scroll through to 7 mins and watch the incredible finish :)
