Next year, David Webb will be running the races of his life for the love of his life – his wife Kellie, who has been ill with M.E. for the past six years.
David, from Adlington, near Chorley in Lancashire, will be taking on four major events in Scotland and the north of England to raise money for the ME Association.
“Even thinking about it is a bit daunting,” said David.
“Though they are well spaced out to allow for recovery between each one, they add up to one big physical and mental challenge across the year. But I’d really like to make a go of them to raise lots of money for research to help Kellie and the millions of sufferers who live with the condition on a daily basis.”
In his running calendar next year are the Bolton Marathon on 16 May, the Edinburgh Marathon on 30 May, the Tough Mudder in Malpas, Cheshire, on 5 September and the Loch Ness Marathon on 3 October.
He’s already started his training and will be running at least 100 miles a month to get race fit ready for his first event next May.
He’s taken part in charity events in the past – but never so many in the space of one year. Ever the dare devil, he even flung himself out a of a plane for a tandem parachute jump for us a couple of summers ago.
Kellie became ill about six years ago and it took approximately six months for her to be diagnosed with M.E.
The condition affected her so badly that she needed to leave her profession in the NHS, decrease her working hours considerably and take up a new profession to allow her to cope with the debilitating effects of the illness.
The couple, who have a seven-year-old son called Riley, have been married for almost three years.
“I’ve tried to keep myself fit by running since my twenties and have a heap of event medals in my collection”, added David. “The trick is to keep focused, stick to a schedule whatever the weather and approach each event in a fresh and positive frame of mind.”
Thank you very much for giving us so much of your time next year, David. We’re in awe of your determination to pull off these big-time events!
If you would like to support David through his series of challenges, please visit his fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/David-Webb-32
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