I'm running the 2025 Schneider Electric Paris Marathon for Alzheimer's Research UK!

Last year, my grandfather, Matt Grimes sadly passed away. He was suffering from dementia, which as I am sure the majority of you know, is a progressive disease that can affect memory and speech alongside other abilities.

Once a cheeky, smiling dentist from Skerries soon became a grey-haired man checking his pockets over and over again for his oh so elusive keys and wallet...

Watching Granda's memory fade was really tough for him and the whole family. The funny stories which he loved to tell slowly became confused as he would sometimes lose his train of thought mid-sentence. He would mix up the names of his family, which he would laugh off but you could tell caused a proud man embarrassment. Even his brilliance on the piano became more of a challenge. Seeing the frustration that this brought him made it all the more difficult to watch.

His illness not only affected him hugely but also my grand mum, Masma. She had to tend to his every need, always keeping a close eye on his aforementioned keys and wallet. They were a fierce partnership; brilliant dancers and more than adequate golfers!

Granda was massively sporty and always up for a challenge. He won many golf competitions with his ever-dubious handicap, completed the London to Brighton bike ride on a few occasions alongside windsurfing, waterskiing, squash and many other pastimes.

Fortunately, Masma seems to be holding up ok, having turned to baby Guinness to fill the void that Granda has left behind. This habit (which is becoming alarmingly more and more frequent) recently took her to 1,000,000 tiktok views...

I am raising money for this charity to help prevent other people and families from going through the same events that we did. I know he will be smiling wherever he is while I do a sport that I love, in the same way that he always used to do.

Any donation will be hugely appreciated and most definitely will go to a good place - Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leading dementia research charity and carries out crucial research into the treatment and prevention of the disease.