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Meet the most inspiring half marathon runners
Tamara Fraser flew into London on Friday morning, and flies back to her home in Nova Scotia in Canada on Tuesday. A long weekend for a half marathon may seem slightly bonkers, but Tamara has a very good reason for it.
She is running the Great Bristol Half Marathon for Bristol girl Sophie Tutton, who has Rett Syndrome, a rare condition that affects the development of the brain.
They were put in contact after Tamara joined I Run for Michael, a community which matches runners with special needs children around the world who are not able to run themselves.
After a year of Tamara sending Sophie photos and packages from Canada, she heard about the Great Bristol Half Marathon happening in her new friend Sophie’s home city.
“I saw that the race was taking place and I thought, ‘I’m going to Bristol, because that’s where Sophie is, and I’m going to run that race for her.’”
The gesture means a lot to Sophie’s family.
Her mother Faith Tutton says she struggles to put it into words: “It’s amazing that one human being would do this for another human being.
“She’s running a half marathon in a foreign country for a girl she had never met.”
Running 13.1 miles is never going to be easy. Now imagine running the Great Bristol Half Marathon on Sunday as the back end of a pantomime horse.
That’s what lies in store for James Thompson. He drew the short straw.
James and fellow Bristol University student Ben Topley are running the route in a heavy and hot costume. All to try and secure a Guinness World Record.
“It started as a joke, but then we thought, why not?” Ben tells Bristol24/7.
The costume is warm, there’s little ventilation and there’s no head hole for the back end. But are they worried? Absolutely not.
“We’ve tried it and it’s looking good,” James says confidently.
That confidence must come from months of training, surely. Nope. James has been in South America for the last month.
Friday – two days before the race – is actually the first time they have tried on the costume, let alone attempted to run in it. But with half of the University Athletics Club stewarding at the event, they hope that their support will help them grab that record.
In a far more runner-friendly get-up is Sean Gaffney from Yeovil. He lost his leg in a Royal Navy training exercise 17 years ago, but hasn’t let that stop him. His feats since the injury include competing in the Invictus Games earlier this year.
is needed now More than ever
Sean has run the Bristol half marathon before. “It’s a very enjoyable route, great crowd, lots of support from the locals, and a magnificent place to start and finish,” he says.
“I’m really looking forward to it.”
Read more: Photo gallery: Great Bristol 10k 2016
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