A Northwich man is preparing to lace up his running shoes to complete the Bupa Great North Run. Philip Howard will take part to raise vital funds for Epilepsy Action, the UK's largest member-led epilepsy organisation.
Philip will attempt the prestigious 13.1 mile race through Tyneside on Sunday 19 September to help support the 456,000 people living with epilepsy in the UK. He has chosen to support Epilepsy Action because his best friend’s son Bobby, 5, has epilepsy.
The Bupa Great North Run is the world's most popular half marathon with over 54,000 runners taking part in 2009. Over £185,000 has been raised from this event for Epilepsy Action with almost 500 runners having taken part on behalf of the charity since 2005.
Philip said: "Not so long ago my life was very different and I never would have dreamed about doing a half marathon – I couldn’t even climb the steps to my home without becoming out of breath. Back in January 2010 I weighed almost 24 stone and I was due to be made redundant. Yet my friend’s son Bobby, who has epilepsy, said he wanted to be like me when he grows up. I didn’t feel deserving of this role model status and I knew that I had to improve my health to improve my chances in the job market. The situation called for drastic action.”
“In little over six months I have lost seven stone and have used my redundancy money to travel the world, visiting South Africa, Australia and the US. Along the way I really got the running bug. I started with a 7km fun run while in Australia and then doubled the distance to run 14km in the Perth Run. It was during this second run that I decided to raise money for a charity that had really helped Bobby with his epilepsy. On Sunday 4 July I ran the full Gold Coast Marathon and then three weeks later I ran the San Francisco half marathon. Running has offered me a fantastic opportunity to improve my fitness and to raise funds for such a great cause.”
“The Great North Run will be the first run in the UK that I will have taken part in. I am really excited to finally be running in England, where my lifestyle change began. While I have come so far I believe that the real achievement is that Bobby will be running the Mini Great North Run. I set out to be a better example for him and so it will be a very proud moment when we both complete our runs.”
To show your support for Phillip and Epilepsy Action, please visit www.justgiving.com/bluesrunthetoon . The money raised will help fund the vital advice and information services provided by Epilepsy Action.
Last year alone the organisation directly helped over 688,000 people through a range of services. These include its advice and information centre, branch network, Epilepsy Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050 and award-winning website, www.epilepsy.org.uk
Applications for the Great North Run through Epilepsy Action have now closed, but anyone who has gained a place independently can still run for the charity. For more information contact Michael White on 0113 210 8800 or email events@epilepsy.org.uk