I'm running my first half marathon in years to support Crohns and Colitis; a wonderful charity who support people with conditions that are embarrassing, life-changing, intrusive and have a fair bit of stigma attached to discussing them in public! 

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in Jan 2019; a mixture of relief that it wasn't the c-word, and apprehension that I now had to live with a chronic condition for the rest of my life. My consultant sent me straight to Crohn's and Colitis for a wealth of reading material, which helped a lot with the initial panic. I'm fortunate to have a fantastic IBD crew at Northampton General, but for many the charity is a lifeline for discussing the embarrassing side of these conditions. The symptoms vary wildly from person to person - as my consultant said "you might be the person that flares every couple of years and is mostly ok, or you could be the person who I throw the kitchen sink at and you never get better". 

This isn't my first half-marathon, but after a long battle to get into remission, it's going to be very different to normal. I won't be carrying an emergency change of clothing, or taking meds that'll cause me to suffer for days just to get through it. It's a race that's only possible because of the work of Crohns and Colitis and the specialists they help support.  

Even in "normal times", Crohns and Colitis are a charity that helps so many people, but fast forward to March 2020 and [eople with "pre-existing conditions" were suddenly fearful of what Covid might mean for us, it was a scary time. I was lucky that I'm not considered "at risk" (touch wood - hopefully these aren't famous last words) but this reassurance was only possible because of the fantastic work of Crohns and Colitis. They were immediately on it, pulling all the data to help inform everyone which of us were at risk, and they're doing it again now, working out who needs a booster that might not have been called up, and making sure sufferers have what they need.  

So I'm running Royal Parks to support this wonderful charity who have helped me, and others, an awful lot! 

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