Wall or nothing - 84-mile run by Stratford man in memory of best friend
SIMON Beacham is going to keep on running to raise money in memory of his best friend and business partner who died of motor neurone disease in 2019.
At 62, Simon, from Wilmcote near Stratford, classifies himself as an endurance runner who hopes to raise £1,500 having just completed an 84 mile east to west coast run which followed the route of Hadrian’s Wall and started at Wallsend near Newcastle and finished in Bowness on Solway.
“My best friend and business partner, Alan Carter, of 27 years died from motor neurone disease in 2019,” Simon said. “I hadn’t really heard much about it before his diagnosis. I followed Alan throughout his illness and spent a lot of time with him fund raising at many of the events he attended such as The Brighton Marathon and various fund-raising parties and functions. I was with him when he eventually passed away in Myton Hospice, Solihull, aged 64. I then vowed to raise awareness and funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association to try and find a cure for this cruel disease so fewer people have to suffer in the future like Alan did,” said Simon.
His training regime for his latest fund raiser involved three runs a week and a run to Broadway Tower to get 26 miles under his belt. He also mixed in some cycling to stay supple and fresh but he doesn’t describe himself as a technical runner.
“My wife Rachel and daughter Maddie were my support team and met me at strategic locations on the route to give me food and clothing and we booked Air BnB along the way.
“I tend to run at five to six mph and keep my mind occupied with family thoughts or work thoughts, basically anything to keep the niggles away. I have a set plan where I start the day with porridge and water, have a banana, snack on sweet and savoury things and at the end of each day I have a an evening meal and a couple of pints of Guinness,” Simon said.
The year 2019 is one Simon will never forget. It was the year he lost his best friend – Alan – who he got to know through their work as construction project managers and it was also the year when Simon was overwhelmed by the magic of Mount Everest.
“Alan and I both talked about going to Everest and we said if one of us goes then the other must go too. Sadly, Alan died before we could do this but his wife - Hazel – gave me a trinket with some of Alan’s ashes in and when I got to Everest Base Camp I carefully placed the trinket among stones at a memorial plateau that has been created. There was another deeply emotional moment I had to fulfil when I left my mother’s ashes at the same plateau.
My mother - Shirley – was born in the Himalayas as her father was based with the British Army. Her family moved back to this country when she was 13 and she passed away in 2014. What I did that day gave me some closure. It was an emotional day but the right thing to do,” Simon said.
His run of charity challenges has so far seen him raise £12,000 over the years and it all started in the early 1990s when he cycled from Lands End to John O’Groats.
“I’ve done the Three Peaks three times which was a bit of a stroll compared with the Iron Man Triathlon or the Braveheart Half Iron Man where the 13-mile run was to the top of Ben Nevis and back down.
I ran the Cotswold Way - 103 miles - over two days in 2016 for the fun of it and with no sponsorship - what a beautiful route this is, we are so blessed in this country. The Welsh Dragon Duathlon was an event in 2019 where I cycled 175 miles from Anglesey to Swansea, stopping on route to run up Snowdon, Cadir Idris and Peny Fan along the way. This was non-stop and took just over 23 hours. Everest was a great trek and realising a dream, to walk to Everest Base Camp and look up at the mighty Everest was the pinnacle of my challenges.
I left Alan’s ashes in the Himalayas. It was appropriate as he would so loved to have joined me on this trip, a very emotional experience all round,” said Simon.
The road is long and Simon knows that but he fully intends to keep on running and raising every step of the way.
To donate to Simon’s latest cause for motor neurone disease, visit: JustGiving/Fundraising/simon-beacham5
