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Our dietitian assistant practitioner, Sheryl Sutcliffe, is recovering today – twice over – after running this weekend’s Rob Burrow fundraiser marathon for Motor Neurone Disease research...by accident!
She thought she’d signed up for the half-marathon (13 miles) in Leeds but, the night before, as she was packing her kit, she discovered the error and it couldn’t be changed.
So she ran the full marathon instead.
She said: “I was preparing all my kit the night before, getting safety pins, race number etc when I noticed that I was booked onto the FULL marathon and not the half! Panicking, I raced through my emails to find the booking confirmation and saw that it read general admission and not half! The morning of the race I went to the information stand at Headingley Stadium but was told it was too late to down grade to the half, so with no other option, I ran the full 26.2 miles in 4 hours, 49 mins!
"It was tough, as I'd not trained or prepared for the full marathon, but the crowds, supporters and thinking about what a worthy cause I was raising money for kept me going. I am very sore today and will be taking a well-earned rest day from the gym!
It was an awesome day and very emotional. One of our community MND patients was also being pushed round the event. It was great to see everyone out on the streets cheering and supporting such a great cause. I didn't realise until I saw the news last night that I'd spent a good portion of the marathon running alongside Rob Burrow's wife!!"
Rob Burrow is the former Leeds Rhinos player who has Motor Neurone Disease, and the race was a fundraiser into research to fund a cure. This was the first of a series of challenges for Sheryl’s 40th birthday year. She’s also aiming to also complete the Three Peaks in under 10 hours in June and will spend 24 hours on a spin-bike trying to cover at least 300 miles on her 40th birthday.
She adds: “As a dietitian assistant practitioner, I have the privilege of caring for many MND patients within the community and have seen the devastation that this disease brings. The challenge has been made slightly easier by the fact that I love exercising.”
She’s also made a comeback after an ankle and leg injury six years ago and was told she would never run again. She does six days a week at Valley Fitness in Barkisland, walks a couple of times a week and walks her dogs, Lennon and Hector, to get in shape.
She’s also promoting a touch rugby event for MND on Saturday June 17 at Goldfields Recreation Ground, Greetland. For more information on this event please contact touchrugbyfestivalmnda@gmail.com or check it out on Facebook.
To support all Sheryl’s efforts visit:
