Ben completes the Kielder-Half Marathon

It's been 40 years since doing any running over 5km and with just 3 weeks of training, it wasn’t the ideal preparation for taking on a Half-Marathon. Let alone the Altra Kielder, which is probably the 5th hardest Half- Marathon's in the UK due to terrain and elevation.

Taking part was an incredibly personal and close family experience. As you may have read from earlier posts, I was running in honour of the late PC Matthew Blades, “Matty”. Driven by the desire to complete what he was tragically unable to and continuing to raise funds for Parkinson's UK really helped to keep me moving through the tough miles. Wearing his bib across the line, I eventually completed the run in 2:36:41!

Parkinson’s is a complex brain condition that has no cure, gets worse over time and it is on the rise. Someone is diagnosed every 20 minutes in the UK today. By 2050, the number of people with Parkinson’s worldwide will double to 25 million.

Parkinson’s UK is the charity that’s here to support every Parkinson’s journey, every step of the way. Wherever you’re from, whatever you need. From searching for a cure and campaigning for better health and care, to funding research into ground-breaking new treatments and running life-changing support services. It’s all driven by one mission: improving life with Parkinson’s.

I know the race is over but if you’d still like to support a very worthy cause, your donation will be appreciated no matter how small; head to my fundraising page at Parkinsons UK - Reuben Dowding.

https://events.parkinsons.org.uk/fundraisers/reubendowding/individual-uk-runs-2026

Thank you.

Ben