My Story

A big part of my life has changed recently with running. About two and a half years ago, running was something that gave me clarity and solitude and the ability to have a bit of me time.  

I have a young two and a half year old kid Finley, and another little boy eight and a half months called Calean. With being at home and at the gym all the time it’s consuming all the time, people after your attention, and for myself, I don’t get much me time. One of the most valuable times of the day is that hour in the morning or evening running, when I get some peace and quiet.  

It’s a passion of mine that I have pursued. I’ve always wanted to get back into it since my boxing days, but I think there was a lot of attachment when it came to running around my training and runs and the gym with my sister, and obviously when she passed, I never really wanted to get back into it.  

It was always one of the things I just put on the backburner and ignored, but it’s probably been one of the best things for me to process the loss of my sister when she died at 33 years of age. It will be six years this summer.  

But running is also working towards becoming a better person, more energised and a happy individual. Its goal related and having a bit of ambition and target for yourself. I’ve been training fighters for so many years and I’ve never put an onus on myself and training. I’ve got as heavy as 96/97kilos at my lowest times and in my darkest places and now I’ve just weighed in at 83 kilos today.  

I’ve got a lot of work to do to get better at my passion which is running, but for me I’ve got a target out there and it’s trying to get as close to two hours 45 minutes for the London Marathon. Young Lives vs Cancer reached out to me after I did a marathon last year, saying would I take one of their spots to raise money for the charity.  

There’s unfortunately a lot of different cancers that affect children and this is so close to my heart. I was a kid, eight years of age when my sister got diagnosed with leukaemia. It took our family literally by the scruff of our necks and turned us upside down – and if I can help raise money and awareness towards the charity that would be really, really fulfilling for me.  

If anyone can donate at little of a couple of quid that would be great – because this horrible disease takes so many young people’s lives, so many old people’s lives and at some stage you’ve got a chance of getting cancer and it’s not just about how it affects that individual, but also how it affects their families.  

Young Lives vs Cancer is a support network and system and is for the extended family, not just the person being affected. If I can do my little part which is to run as fast as I can for 26.2 miles, then I feel that will give me some form of fulfilment and satisfaction, and this is the start of my journey and road to London.