Steve’s Jog 50 Miles in November challenge

I decided to raise money for Dementia UK after retiring from work early this year. I wanted to spend more time with my wife, who has young onset dementia.
When I started the Jog 50 Miles in November challenge, I had such a great response that I decided to invite people who had sponsored me to run with me each day. I’ve had over seventy people run with me – all observing social distancing!

I chose Dementia UK as they are in the front line of care for people and families living with dementia and are making a difference day in and day out. The work being done by Dementia UK is about improving people’s quality of life; it’s a lifeline for so many.

We’ve currently raised £3,400, but I’m hoping for £4K.

My advice for someone wanting to raise money would be to try to involve your friends, family, and colleagues, and don’t set a goal you can’t achieve. Join the social media groups associated with your challenge; with Jog 50, the Facebook group was fantastic.

It’s not been easy, but once we realised how much we enjoyed walking and listening to music, we haven’t looked back.

I’ve gone from having responsibility for 40 people as a Production Manager in an aerospace company and running circuit training classes every evening, for over 40 years, to looking after my wife, Chris.

Chris and I have walked over 250 miles in November on top of the 100 miles that I’ve run on my own.
We’ve been self-isolating so we’ve started doing jigsaws, playing beach bat and ball, and darts. These are all things we have never done before, but they keep us busy and help Chris’s condition.

We have walked and exercised throughout lockdown, but the Jog 50 Challenge took it to another level and gave our exercise a purpose. I have also got nine people who came along to support me into running themselves!