On Sunday 8th December 2024 Eddie will be running the Milton Keynes Winter Half Marathon.

For those that don't know Eddie, firstly you are massively missing out, but secondly, he has Fragile X Syndrome and so this charity really means a lot to him and the family.

Fragile X syndrome is a genetic condition caused by a change in a specific gene on the X chromosome. It leads to developmental delays, learning challenges, and difficulties with motor skills, particularly in boys, not that Eddie lets having Fragile X syndrome stop him from playing table tennis, badminton, football, squash to name a few.

When Eddie first started running with me and my Dad he had 2 speeds: fast and stop. So it is safe to say there was a lot of stopping at the beginning. However, we soon taught Eddie that if he ran slightly slower than a full 100m sprint pace, he could run an increasing distance without stopping and Eddie quickly became parkrun's number 1 fan. The highlight of Eddie's week is Saturday morning parkrun and I am regularly told by his family that he spends the whole week "whittering" on about what PB he is aiming for.

This year Eddie has really stepped up his running game. After witnessing myself and Matt run a Half Marathon earlier in the year he told us by the end of 2024 he was going to run one himself. Eddie has also recently smashed his 5k PB at parkrun, for 3 weeks in a row he shaved off a minute each week to end with a current PB of 24 minutes and 11 seconds! "Not bad for a bibbly" as his dad would say.

And let’s not forget, during those 5ks, Eddie loves to chat! When we can’t keep up with his chatter (often about Norwich City FC), he makes friends with other parkrunners, instead keeping them entertained. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll start a running club just for talking!

I have grown up with Eddie and don't know life without him; I can safely say though that my life would be a lot more boring without Eddie in it. There is never a dull moment with Eddie around, he even has a song he likes to sing to celebrate having Fragile X.

I am super excited to be running with Eddie on the 8th December and Eddie is even more excited to take on his first major running challenge.

Eddie, myself and the whole family are extremely grateful for any donation to this incredible charity.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.