UPDATE 2 April - second half marathon completed in 2 hours 28 minutes and 30 seconds!
Rather than attempting to run a marathon in one go, I have set myself the challenge of running two half-marathons this autumn: the Richmond half on 11 September and the Kingston half on 23 October. I am raising funds for a much-needed sensory room for Yorda Adventures, a local organisation that provides play and short breaks for children with severe learning disabilities.
UPDATE 24 October - first half marathon completed in 2 hours 32 minutes! Second one now booked for 2 April 2023.
UPDATE 10 September - for understandable reasons the Richmond half has been postponed and new date is yet to be arranged. I'm still in training for the Kingston half in October :)
Alexander, pictured here, regularly attends Yorda and they are, quite frankly, a lifesaver for us and a lot of other families.
This is a huge challenge for me as I only began running three years ago. However, it is nothing compared to the challenges faced daily by the children and families supported by Yorda.
Children with disabilities can benefit enormously from the specialist equipment in a sensory room through either being stimulated by, for example, fibre optics, bubble tubes, light up cushions, or through finding the environment a place to calm themselves and take a time out. I have included a photo to show an example.
As with all things to do with disability, this equipment is expensive and I would so love to raise enough for Yorda to be able to build an entire sensory room at the Playhouse. Thank you for reading this far and I do hope you might be able to make a donation that will both support this project and fuel my training runs.