A former rugby player ticked off one ambition when he completed a Warwickshire event which bills itself as “without doubt one of the most beautiful 10k runs in the country”.
Lewis Edwards – running for younger brother Rhys who was diagnosed with ME nine years ago – said that for some time he had fancied entering the stunning-looking Two Castles 10k from Warwick to Kenilworth and completing it in under 50 minutes.
And he did just that – when the 41st edition of the locally organised event was held on 8th June.
Lewis, a human relations expert who lives in Kenilworth, told us: “The race was a great success. There was an amazing atmosphere and the weather was incredible. Thankfully I also had an awesome support team and some incredible friends who ran it with me.
“I achieved the time I was hoping for of sub-50 minutes, coming in at 49:46.”
Lewis, married with two young children, said he was “absolutely blown away” by the support he had received on the day.
He ran with a group of friends and and was also thrilled to note that members of the local Ladbroke Golf Club, where his dad Gareth is a member, had chipped in with over £500 in donations – swelling the total received so far over £1,200 for the ME Association.
He only wished he could have run the event with Rhys.
The brothers had been enjoying sporting success in their different ways since childhood and life seemed set fair for the both of them… until it wasn’t for the younger brother.
Photos show Lewis with his finisher's medal, with younger brother Rhys, a beautifully illustrated diagram of the 10k route and Lewis's children – waiting to cheer him on in the closed-roads event.
“Rhys was fit and well competing in the fencing team and rock climbing at university . He had gained an International Business Degree when he became unwell and was diagnosed with M.E at the age of 23,” said Lewis.
“That was nine years ago, and it shattered his life. He no longer has the energy to do just everyday things and needs care from his wife and our parents.”
Rhys, now with two little children of his own, had at one-time a gold-plated career of his own, working in logistics for Unipart and Rolls Royce.
The Two Castles 10k takes places through a beautiful countryside corridor between the massive ramparts of Warwick Castle, originally built after the Norman Conquest as a wooden fort along the banks of the River Avon and Kenilworth Castle which – says Lewis – is well worth a visit.
“It’s a quarter of the size but has a very proud history”, said Lewis. “Did you know that Queen Elizabeth I had a long stay there and the owner, Lord Robert Dudley, spent a fortune preparing for the visit by doing up the castle and its gardens.
“Much of that still remains. You must come and pay a visit one day!”
More pertinently, please consider making a donation to Lewis’s fundraiser by clicking on the link below. That would really be the icing on the cake!
Lewis's Two Castles 10k Challenge
Fundraising for ME Association
Thank you!
Tony Britton
Senior Fundraising Volunteer, The ME Association
tony.britton@meassociation.org.uk Mob: 07393 805566
