Q&A with Health and Social Care Lecturer, Simon Fawcett

Can you tell us a little more about the charity you raised money for, and why you wanted to support them?

The Brathay Trust offers life-changing community programmes to children, young people and families in need, everything they do operates as non-profit as they seek to improve the life chances of those who need it most. Brathay works with young people who are victims of circumstance – not victims themselves. These young people are supported at Brathay and out in the community to become more self-aware and find the potential and resilience they never knew they had. In particular, their residential experiences that are based at Brathay Hall in the Lake District give the young people to develop, learn and grow through the medium of the outdoors

What inspired you to take on the Brathay 10in10 challenge?

I was inspired to take part because like many of the children who access the support of Brathay, I too had a troubled time growing up and would have been a prime candidate for their services. I remember the first time that I got to experience a countryside setting during a week-long residential when I was in primary school. The experience fostered a great love of the outdoors that has stayed with me ever since.

I have been running for many years and the Brathay 10 in 10 seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to help the charity by doing something that I love, whilst also giving me an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and push myself to see if I could do it.

How much have you now raised?

The total currently stands at £3575.

I am so happy to have exceeded the £3000 target.

What did you find the most difficult? Did you come up against any particular challenges?

The major challenge was dealing with the knee injury from the start. I had to be very careful, particularly when running downhill as it was these sections that caused me the most discomfort. A major part is also the mental challenge of the event, waking up each morning knowing that you are going to have to run one of the toughest UK road marathons is not easy.

What was your favourite part about completing the Brathay 10in10?

It has to be the final marathon, I had to hold back for 9 days so as not to make my injury worse. As I approached the final finish line I just let the emotion out, it will be a moment that I will never forget. I crossed the line with my physio Cameron, without him I would not have completed the event. My wife Amy was waiting for me at the finish line which made the moment even better.

What 3 bits of advice would you give to someone thinking of taking on the Brathay 10in10 or a similar challenge?

Make sure that you train on roads that are similar to that of the Windermere marathon.

Ensure that you get plenty of back to back running in, the longer these runs are- the better.

Make sure that you can run a marathon comfortably, by this I mean that you get yourself to a point in your training where you can run a marathon without putting too much strain on the body and then be able to run again the following day without feeling overly tired and sore.

Did you have a go to artist/podcast/playlist/genre to listen to when running?

At times when I felt like I needed to listen to something I listened to David Goggin’s audio books.

Did you miss any home comforts while you were away?

I would consider the 10 in 10 the best all-inclusive holiday in the world, everything was done for the runners, all we had to do was get up and run the Windermere Marathon everyday so in that regard I felt very comfortable indeed.

Do you have any other runs planned for the near future?

My next race will be back up in the Lakes for the Langdale Marathon in October.

What is your favourite thing about working at NSCG?

Despite only working here for a short period of time I can honestly say that I am so very happy to be working here. I feel lucky that I get to work at both Stafford and Newcastle sites. The Health and Social Care teams are amazing, they made me feel welcome. Coming here was just the change that I needed and I am looking forward to the future here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me with this 10 in 10 adventure, I have been overwhelmed by the support and kindness shown by so many here.

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