Jack’s Marathon Appeal in aid of the Nerve Tumours UK charity
Brakes Trust member, Jack Godbert-Brown, explains why he is running the Manchester Marathon to raise funds for a charity with personal meaning.
I have been a member of the Brakes Trust for a number of years and follow the Brakes home and away and am grateful to have been given the opportunity to share with Brakes fans my forthcoming effort to run a marathon to raise monies for a charity which is important to me for personal reasons.
On 19th April I will be running the Manchester Marathon, this will be my first marathon. I do not have a charity place but am running in support of Nerve Tumours UK because their work means a great deal to me personally as I have Neurofibromotosis type 1.
The charity provides crucial support to people living with Neurofibromatosis types 1 and 2 – the conditions that cause nerve tumours. The charity receives no government support so relies on donations to fund specialist nurses, medical and non-medical support and research. They are dominant genetic conditions, which means that they can be passed on in families from one generation to the next through genetic inheritance. Similarly, about half of nerve tumours cases recorded have no previous family history of the condition. In other words, it can occur totally “out of the blue”.
NF1 varies widely in how it affects those who have the condition. Many people (such as myself) with the disorder are affected very mildly and may have nothing more than skin changes. A minority of people (around a third) who have NF1 will have medical problems related to the disorder at some time in their life. Some of these problems will be mild and easily treatable and others will be more severe.
Having unsurprisingly missed out on a place in the London Marathon, I decided to enter the Manchester Marathon. Despite taking part in triathlons and being quite a good runner when I was a bit younger, I have not run for a number of years and started training around May last year. As part of my preparation, I completed the Silverstone Half Marathon in November and Warwick Half-Marathon in February where I improved my time by 10 minutes. I am now looking forward to testing myself over the full distance.
Jack completes the Warwick Half Marathon
Although this is a personal effort, it also encapsulates two of the key objectives of the Brakes Trust, which are to support the local community and to promote the club as I will, of course, be wearing my Brakes shirt as I undertake this challenge.
If you would like to donate, here is a link to my Just Giving page.
I would be most grateful for any support,
Jack.
