Sheffield - All Systems Are Go!

The Bupa Great Yorkshire Run takes place around Sheffield City Centre on Sunday 6th September 2009. Training hasn't exactly gone to plan, but my back is holding up so I don't expect any false starts, and at £35 every time I enter an event, I can't afford another one!

London - Wasn't A Happy Time!

One 25th May 2009 I planned to run the BUPA London 10k, aiming to finish under the 1 hour mark and therefore beating my Manchester 10k time.

Sadly, as some of you are aware, I was forced to pull out of the London 10k due to back problems. I headed to London with all my gear, iPod fully loaded and large amounts of pain killers, but sadly my sciatic nerves meant I found it extremely painful to walk!

After speaking to Just Giving / DiabetesUK I arranged and extended my fund raisng page so that all donations can be rolled over to the Sheffield 10k in September.

On the day itself, it was great to see friends set off and finish clasping their shiney medals, but can assure you that there wasn't anyone more disappointed or annyoed as much as me, for not being able to take part.

I'm Still Raising Money

Please remember this was nothing more than a small postponement. I am still taking part in a 10k run, its just a little later than originally planned.

Most importantly, your donations are still going to a very good cause!

I originally decided to run the BUPA London 10,000 (now the Bupa Great Yorkshire Run 10K) in support of Diabetes UK and would really welcome your support in order to help me raise £500.

Having family, friends and work colleagues affected by Diabetes, it's a real eye opener as to how much this can affect your life. Having raised £2521 in 2006 for Cancer Research (Tatton Park 10k) and £903 in 2007 for MacMillan Nurses (Manchester 10k) I hope to raise a similar amount for Diabetes UK with your help.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in the blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly. Insulin is vital for life. It is a hormone produced by the pancreas and helps the glucose to enter the cells where it is used as fuel for energy so we can work, play and generally live our lives.

Type 1 or 2?

There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2;

Type 1 diabetes develops if the body is unable to produce any insulin.
Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly (known as insulin resistance).

There are currently over 2.5 million people with diabetes in the UK and there are more than half a million people with diabetes who don’t know!

The Effects of Diabetes

If having to inject yourself with a needle on a daily basis wasn't enough to cope with, Diabetics often suffer from;

Loss of Sight
People with diabetes are at risk of developing retinopathy which affects the blood vessels supplying the retina – the seeing part of the eye.  This damage gets in the way of the light passing through to the retina and if left untreated can damage vision.

Kidney Failure
Kidney disease is much more common in people with diabetes developing very slowly, over many years. About one in three people with diabetes might go on to develop kidney disease.

Additional complications that affect diabetics including nerve damage, heart and circulation problems and in bad cases, amuptation of limbs.

Where Your Money Goes

All donations are secure and sent electronically to Diabetes UK and remember, if you're a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation at no extra cost to you!