Welcome to Ed's Great North Run 2023 profile page for Diabetes UK. 

I've been a Type 1 diabetic for 31 years, since the age of 7. There's no avoiding it - it's a physically and emotionally punishing condition. It's one that you have to think about every minute of every day, one that involves constant calculations and experiments, test after test, injection after injection. There is no let up, no day off, no respite. Even with excellent management, your body sometimes decides it wants to do something different - so you react and adapt as best you can. 

Feeling stressed? Your sugar levels might go up.
Running late? Your sugar levels might go down rapidly. 
Shopping in IKEA on a busy Saturday? You may need to sit down for 20 minutes halfway through 😂

Exercise is quite a complicated calculation for type 1's - depending on the intensity it can cause extreme highs or extreme lows. 

You take forensic notes each time: 
What was my level before leaving?
Should I eat something 30 minutes before?
Should I change my insulin rate?
Should I ignore the adrenalin-fuelled high blood sugar levels after finishing?
Should I treat a hypo that's coming as I cross the finish line or wait and see if I get a rapid upsurge that sometimes occurs at the end of a race?

I started running a few years ago, with a bit of a break whilst I had some eye surgery. I never expected to enjoy it so much, nor did I realise quite how positively it would impact my diabetes and general health. 
When I got started - and was enjoying it - I started to set my sights on a big target, originally to coincide with 30 years of diabetes. The Great North Run is an absolutely iconic race, in my hometown, so despite now having lived in Barcelona for 11 years, I really wanted to come back to do this and reach that personal goal (albeit one year late!).

When you are dealing with long term illness, you are constantly seeing medical professionals, checking up, keeping you on track, giving you the very best care (I am fortunate to be able to say). But the thing that often makes the biggest difference is being able to reach out to your diabetic community, to get help and advice about everything from food to exercise to drinking to travel and anything else you could imagine. 

In the 22 years I was living in the UK as a diabetic, Diabetes UK was an absolutely crucial lifeline when it came to managing my condition.Two of my close family members are living with Type 2 diabetes, so this has redoubled my desire to get fundraising for Diabetes UK. 

The work that it does is essential in supporting diabetics and their families - so in making a donation in support of my run, you will be helping them to work towards a better future for people living with diabetes. 

Support my challenge by hitting the donate button on my profile page.