Last October I decided to run the Bath Half Marathon in memory of my son Will, who died suddenly in November 2022 from SADS. The shock and heartbreak from this tragedy are with us constantly. I wanted to try to do something positive in Will’s memory to try to prevent this tragedy and suffering happening to other families.
Myself and 4 friends ran this event on 17th March with the aim of raising enough money to run a CRY cardiac screening for young people in the Bath area. We thought it might take many months to reach the target of £6500.
I did well with the training initially, but was held back by various aliments including a dodgy knee and chest infection. However, I was determined to do this for Will but I’d never felt so ill prepared for anything!
From the start I knew it was going to be an emotional journey for us. My wife, Ann, had made labels for the back of our CRY t shirts saying ‘Running in memory of Will’ with a photo of him underneath. As other runners ran past me many of them tapped me on the back and said ‘Will would have been very proud of you’.
I thought about Will constantly as I was running; he spurred me onwards towards the finish line. I also felt so loved and supported by family and friends on the sidelines. I could easily spot them in red and white, clapping, shouting, waving and wearing CRY t shirts and sashes. Feeling the love and support of the community gave me a boost.
All 5 of us crossed the finish line, exhausted but elated to have completed the run. The pain was worth it. Incredibly, we have managed to raise enough money through this one event to carry out a screening event in Bath and hopefully we have raised the profile of CRY too. I am sure Will would have been proud of us all.
