My Dad was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in 2019. He passed away in the autumn of 2023, having been in the hospital on and off since 2021.

My Dad's body bore the brunt of not being given educational opportunities suitable for his style of learning and having to find a place in the working world using his hands. He was in the building trade from before he was 18, through to an early retirement in his 50s. His knees and back were shot, he’d been exposed to particulate matter, likely asbestos, which caused issues with his breathing, and he wrestled with the knowledge that he’d have to deal with a degenerative cognitive disease that he perceived as placing an additional burden on his Family.

My Dad was adamant that my sister and I wouldn’t walk his path. While his life was physical to the extreme and consisted of jobs strung together to support his family, ours was to be grounded in the importance of education. Something that he felt no one could take from us, and that would always provide.

I was the first in my family to attend University, followed quickly by my sister. My studies took me abroad, and I settled in the US with my partner in 2005 where we built our own Family. My parents and sister visited us on the birth of our first daughter, and then again over the years as they could, with their last visit together being in 2018. After this, Dad’s health deteriorated to the point he could no longer travel such long distances.

I am not a runner, at least I don’t usually call myself that, despite running regularly since 2015, and having run races at all the usual distances: 5k, 10k, half, and a full marathon. In 2022, as travel restrictions eased to the point that travel was relatively straightforward, we decamped to the UK for the summer to spend an extended break near my parents. During that trip, I ran the ASICS London 10K and ran in support of the Alzheimer’s Society. I’d not run for a charity before. I didn’t discuss why I’d picked this charity with my Dad, but I’m sure he knew. Dad didn’t understand why I ran (to be honest, I’m not sure either), as it seemed odd to him that you’d willingly put yourself through something so arduous ‘for fun’. I guess it is a privilege when viewed that way.

The London Marathon route runs near where I was raised as a child. As a family, we’d head down to the closed-off portion of the street and watch as the runners bombed past (it’s close enough to the start of the race that people are still enthusiastic). I’ve been given the opportunity to run in the 2025 London Marathon, in support of the Alzheimer’s Society. I’m running for them, for people with Alzheimer’s, those supporting them, and for my Dad.

Please consider supporting me, as I run to support them.