Rob Runs For Alzheimer's
The City of Lincoln 10K is one of the country's oldest mass participation road races. Now in its twentieth year, it is organised by the late Jane Tomlinson's Run for All charitable events company. The 2016 race will take place on Sunday 17th April and will see runners set off from Riseholme Road at 11am. The event is run on closed roads through the city with participants set to cross the finish line close to the iconic Lincoln Cathedral.
The thousands of runners will each have a story to tell and a reason for being there. With three weeks to go until the 2016 Lincoln 10K road race, in a series of articles LincsMag caught up with three of this year's participants.
The first of our three featured runners is Rob Bee from Horncastle. Rob is a 29 year old Events Administrator and although he has run the Lincoln 10K twice previously, this year's event has taken on a much greater significance for him. In January this year, Rob's mother Eileen sadly passed away. Rob told LincsMag that Eileen had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease after being diagnosed in 2012. Rob spoke highly of the Alzheimer's Society charity and the 'much good work' they had done for his mother by 'offering support throughout' her time of ill-health.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Dementia is the word used to describe a set of symptoms that can include memory loss and difficulties with language, problem-solving and thought processing. There is no known cure for dementia but with the right support sufferers are able to manage their symptoms and sometimes slow down the decline in their cognitive functioning.
Rob told LincsMag how his mother Eileen had bravely fought Alzheimer's for four hard years. He is very grateful for the support she received from the Alzheimer's Society and now feels that it is his 'turn to give something back to them and help the thousands of people who are currently suffering from this disease'.
Training for any sports event takes a lot of commitment and Rob reports that his training plan is going well. He was full of praise for his wife Lucy and told us how he 'couldn't have got through the last couple of months' without the support of his friends and family. On race day Rob will be running with his friend Chris and together they hope to run the race at a good pace in order to raise lots of money for charity.
Like many runners, Rob is putting in the effort with his training for the event and he is building up his distance gradually with the aim of running 10K before race day. He told LincsMag, 'I've been training on my own so far and that's just the way I like it. Earphones in and shut off to the world, perfect!'
Along with the friends and family of Rob and Chris, LincsMag will be looking out for these two runners on race day. If anyone would like to sponsor them for the race please visit www.justgiving.com/run-for-eileen.