Some people dread turning 40, even though 40 is the new 30, it’s not always the most welcomed day – but what if you celebrated it by running a marathon? That’s exactly what Burgess Hill mum-of-two and Occupational Therapist (OT), Helena Sterry, did for her 40th birthday by taking part in the virtual London Marathon on 3rd October; all in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).
CommunityAd caught up with Helena Sterry before her run to find out her motivation behind the marathon, her connection to MNDA, and what time she was hoping to put on the 26.2-mile clock.
Talking about how the challenge came about, Helena explains: “I’ve only been running for the past 15 years or so and never thought I’d achieve a marathon – the 10-mile Great South Run was the perfect flat distance for me, and I was pretty happy with that. Then something popped up on Facebook about the virtual London marathon whilst we were in the winter lockdown. I needed a challenge and decided with 10 months to train what could go wrong? I’d already realised that the original London marathon date for 2022 was planned for the day after my 40th next year and this new October date spurred me on to get it done before I turned 40.
“I have worked as an OT for nearly 20 years and since moving to work as a community OT in West Sussex I have had the privilege of working with many customers with motor neurone disease. During this work I got to know about the work of the MNDA and how vital it is for those affected by this horrible disease and their friends and families.
“MND is a rapidly deteriorating neurological condition that is devastating to those it affects. Public figures such as Rob Burrow, Doddie Wier, Stephen Darby have recently really inspired me to push myself, they all have MND. They are a true inspiration to me and I will have them in my thoughts when I run.”
Helena’s aim was to raise enough money to fund a tablet device with communication software giving a person the ability to communicate with loved ones when their voice is no longer strong enough. After quickly reaching her goal of £300, it was increased to £550, but this has since been smashed and Helena has raised an impressive £1,186.
“I am completely overwhelmed that I have raised enough money to potentially fund 2 of these devices. I do feel extremely proud of this achievement, it’s surpassed my greatest expectations of the money I could raise, and I am truly grateful to every person that has sponsored me to do this run.
“I’m positive that I will finish the marathon but as for a time, who knows. Six hours would feel great – it’ll be more of a jog than a run!”