Running is my passion but, being honest, I take it completely for granted. So when someone you know is affected so arbitrarily doing something they love it cannot fail to feel very profound. Understanding the pain of others also makes wanting to help and support them the easiest thing in the world.  

I have therefore decided to fund raise for the East of England paramedic first response unit who reacted with speed and great care in saving the life of Stephen Smith as he collapsed as he completed the Cambridge Half Marathon in February 2016. Without them Steve would almost certainly have died and it is testament to the speed of their reaction, the work they did, and the care that they gave that he did not.

I will therefore be running two marathons on two consecutive days as part of the Great Barrow Challenge to raise money for this wonderful cause. These will be on 25th and 26th June 2016. As much as raising money I also want to raise awareness of the wonderful work the first responders do, and, perhaps even more importantly, also want to do this as a firm show of support for and solidarity with Steve, Marie, Luke and Emily as Steve continues with his recovery.