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This year I have decided to complete the Snowdonia Marathon.  

I will share with you now my story of my reasons behind taking part in Snowdonia.  This also appears on my JustGiving page.

Dad

My dad – Chris Garner – sadly passed away in October 2007, aged 52. My dad suffered with alcohol problems throughout his life and it eventually caused his death. He had tried to stop drinking many times, and in particular in his last few months he was adamant he wanted to better himself and become sober. At the time he died, he was not drunk, he had not had a drink – even when watching England lose the Rugby World Cup final in 2007…two days before he died. His body and heart were so damaged due to what he had done in his past, they gave up on him.

Dad was a keen runner when he was younger, particularly at school. He set so many records during his time at the Cedars in Leighton Buzzard, a new cup was awarded each year in his name – “The Garner Cup.” The school kindly donated the cup to us when dad died. Dad completed many marathons including the London Marathon and he completed the Snowdonia Marathon twice. Dad always said the Snowdonia Marathon was the toughest he had ever done. Why he decided to run it twice, I will never know! But we have two slate coasters reminding us always of what he achieved.

Snowdonia

And now it’s my turn…! It will be the tenth anniversary of dad’s death the week before the marathon and so I thought it fitting that I take on this challenge in his memory whilst raising money for a good cause.

Snowdonia is a gruelling race with a total climb of 838 metres. I’m told this is the same as running up the Shard three times…during a 26.2 mile run. If this was a flat race, the equivalent distance is 29.32 miles. Yikes!

I am taking part in numerous events throughout the year as part of my training and will keep everyone updated as I go. I am hoping to complete the marathon and get my very own coaster I can keep with dad’s.

Addaction

I am raising funds for the charity Addaction. Addaction helps people change their behaviour to become the very best that they can be. It could be their drug or alcohol use or worries about their mental health – they support people to making lasting change in their lives. They provide immeasurable support to those suffering, those in need and their families. Each person needs committed and caring support as they move forward step by step. It is my hope that with these donations, I can aid in the recovery of other individuals suffering with addiction and provide help and support to their families.


In this blog I am hoping to include details of my runs, my health, fitness and events I take part in throughout my training for Snowdonia.

I will also share details of my own mental health, and struggles I have with alcohol and addiction.

Some of it may be interesting, some of it will not, however this will also act as a diary that I am sharing publicly which may be beneficial for me as I battle through!