Edinburgh Marathon ‘Our run for Ben’

I took up running, as a kind of therapy, shortly after Ben died. 

I was kind of cajoled on by colleagues who had run the London Marathon in April 2019.   They have since left my organisation and I have pretty much done all my training over the last two years on my own – pushed on by the marathon plan (Edinburgh picked as a substitute for London when I didn’t get a place).   

The Edinburgh Marathon was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19, just two months before the big day.  Then again early 2021 it was pretty evident that the race wasn’t going to happen in real terms, but I just thought I have got to get on and do this run.    

I had always intended to raise funds in memory of Ben for Action Duchenne. It was not the direct cause of Ben’s death and even with this terrible condition he should have had a good few more years to complete his Uni course and see where it took him.   

As I have said on my Just Giving page, Ben did have a full life, with his passions of travel, food and football, but living with Duchenne is such a compromise and a daily battle. It seemed fitting to raise funds for Action Duchenne, to try to help other families still struggling.     

Sadly, my daughter has been confirmed as a carrier, so it will continue to impact our family in the coming years.   

Hopefully my pain on the day (and it is going to be tough) will be of benefit to the charity.

by Hannah Lewis.