Last year I was the victim of an attempted rape. At first, I could hardly verbalise what had happened. The support I was referred to by the police had ceased to exist, the psychologist my GP recommended charged £120 an hour - which meant I couldn´t see her - but she thankfully pointed me towards SARSAS, the Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support. Two months later I was finally able to speak to someone who understood just what I was experiencing, and knew for the first time that I wasn´t broken. I developed post-traumatic stress disorder, and was eventually unable to return to the place where I was attacked.

Nevertheless, my attacker did not succeed in doing what he wanted to do; my family and friends were there to support me everyday, my partner was excepcional at this; I had the privilege of having a great job that safeguarded my right to be signed off sick while I recovered; I was to a degree able to rationalise my suffering, but I took seven months to accept any medication to help me in the process of recovery. Over a year on I feel that I am well on the way. But I dread to think what it would have been like to go through the whole experience without the massively privileged position I was in: what if my attacker had succeeded? what if I had been alone? what if I hadn´t been able to get sick pay? I would still have had SARSAS support, and for many people that is all the support there exists.

6 months of SARSAS support costs £960. My partner, a good friend with actual running expertise, and I are running the Bristol half marathon on September the 23rd to raise funds for a year of support: £1920; plus JustGiving fees. This is to raise awareness that this support exists locally, and that it is massively underfunded. It is also to bring hope to men and women struggling with the trauma of sexual violence: as time goes on, things that once seemed impossible might just come to be.