At the start of 2021 we challenged alumni, staff and students from the University to take on our Couch to 5K running challenge. As well as being a great way to improve your fitness and boost your physical and mental health, the challenge would also be raising funds for a very important cause: the University’s Parkinson’s disease research.
We initially set a fundraising goal of £5,000, which our challengers reached in no time. Next we raised the target to £7,500, and you passed that mark even quicker! Finally, we raised the bar to £10,000, and despite all the challenges of early 2021 you managed to surpass that too, with the final total raised a little over £11,000!
So, we wanted to send everyone who participated, or who donated to someone who was, a massive thank you for getting involved and getting behind this vital, life-changing research.
Here are just a few of the alumni who took part, talking about why they got involved, and what the challenge has given them.
Jay Dean-Lewis
"I’ve been trying to get more active again recently - working from home plus my gym being closed has not helped me. So when I got the email from you saying there was an opportunity for me to raise money for research and give back to my University while also getting active again I signed up before I could change my mind!"
"So far I have found it difficult but not unmanageable. Week Two is easier than Week One was! 91Ö±²¥ is rather hilly so I’ve had to find out where the flat roads are around my house."
I’ve noticed a big difference to my mental health; exercise is one of those things where I know it will help but it’s so much easier to not do it. I have anxiety and depression that I generally manage quite well, but I have had a real dip in my mental heath over the last 12 months. I think knowing I am helping others at the same time is a key motivation to keep going even when it isn’t easy."
Jay Dean-Lewis
BSc Biochemistry and Microbiology 2017
"My tip for anyone who hasn’t started is before you even start the challenge, go for a 30 minute walk. If you can do that, you can do the Couch to 5K. It doesn’t matter how slow you go, just keep moving. On my first attempt I only got halfway through the first run before was too tired and I gave up. But I tried again the next day (and found a less hilly route) and I got to the end."
Stuart Blair
"As many in lockdown, I’ve found the last 10 months working from home a change from the faster paced life that I would normally lead. I head a European Sales Team in the payments industry and commute daily into London from Essex and travel around Europe to meet clients almost every week."
"Whilst I don’t miss the commute, I do miss the headspace and separation from home and work. Working from home is manic, and the start / end of the day can become blurred into my own time, so much so that I’ve found in autumn and winter that days can go by where I don’t leave the house! I decided that in the New Year, I would actively do something about it and whilst doing so, find a way to shift the extra pounds that being at home has caused!"
"I used to run 5K some years ago and liked how it was far enough to run without an issue whilst long enough to get enough exercise to clear my mind and keep me fit, so when the email came through from the University to join, it caught my eye."
What is more, my father was diagnosed five years ago in January with Parkinson’s disease. In that time, we have seen it progress from a slight tremor in one hand to both arms, legs, his stance, walking and impacting other parts of his life and that of my mother who has taken on more of a carer role. So when I read that the University of 91Ö±²¥ was a leader in research into Parkinson’s disease, it made sense for me to give something back to the University, support research into the disease and help my own health goals.
Stuart Blair
BA German and Spanish with Swedish 1995
Sarah Tyrrell
As one of my sponsors (my Mum) said, we’ve seen recently what science can achieve with the right funding so I’m delighted to play a small part in this."
Sarah Tyrrell
BA Law with French 2006
"I am quite an enthusiastic runner but had a baby girl last August and so am restarting my journey back to fitness. The couch to 5K programme felt like a safe way to get back in to running after a break of more than six months and following child birth! I had started the programme when I saw the email from you and thought that it seemed like an excellent reason to keep going and raise some money for this vital research."
Steven Spall
"I was sitting on the sofa one night when I happened to see the email from the University. I noticed the Couch to 5K and thought about how, when doing my PhD at 91Ö±²¥, I had tried and failed to do this. Multiple times in fact. I opened the email and it said, "Do you want to do the couch to 5K and raise money for Parkinson's research?" and I thought... okay."
"I’m very very outdoorsy. Caving, hiking, formerly sailing and I've dabbled in bouldering. Sadly, I can't do these as much in the winter, and being able to get out even for 40 minutes in the rain, snow, dragon attacks makes a huge difference. I can't believe I am running for as long as I am, and I actually think I can do this!"
My Grandad Peter was a wonderful and gentle man of unlimited patience and kindness. Parkinson's disease made his last years so difficult and hard."
Steven Spall
PhD Chemistry 2018
"I can't bring him back but maybe after running to South Shields pier, when we've inevitably gone to Minchella's for an ice cream at Marine Park (as we used to do together when I was a child) there will be some breakthrough in the lab happening as a result of money raised by running in the snow back in January. Even if it's small, that would be a wonderful thing to pay forward."
If you'd like to take on a fundraising challenge of your own take a look at our Fundraising web pages.
Or if you want to support our Parkinson's research directly you can Make an Online Donation.