A family challenge

Tuesday 05 March 2024

A dad, daughter, and son-in-law will be taking on the London Marathon together - and then they're planning to conquer Guernsey's half marathon too.

David Rowlinson has a condition which means he needs to use a wheelchair or mobility scooter to get around.

To raise money for charity, he's going to be pushed around the full 26.2 mile course in April, by his daughter and her partner.

They will then bring the specialised wheelchair back to Guernsey for the Butterfield half in September, before donating the chair to the Guernsey Sports Commission so other people can use it too.

Mr Rowlinson said it is a "running racing wheelchair designed for marathon running for one or two people to push it".

"With the help of Ravenscroft, who paid for it, we're going to do London, and then it's going to come over here and we're going to do the Guernsey Half Marathon in September, which will be great to see our friends and to raise some support for local charities. And then afterwards, it will be donated to the The Guernsey Sports Commission who will look after it and anyone in Guernsey who want to use it for any racing or social activities will be able to use it."

Pictured (l-r): Claire, David, and Jenny Rowlinson and Jonny Meardon. 

Mr Rowlinson has a progressive muscle wasting disease called Myositis.

"I have a specific part called Inclusion Body Myositis, which is a progressive muscle wasting disease, mostly affecting legs and arms.

"I was diagnosed with it 12 years ago, and it's basically been a slow progression over that period, but more obviously now I can hardly walk, so I'm virtually wheelchair and mobility scooter bound and things like picking things up with hands and arms are quite difficult.

"I need help most of the time," he said adding that his wife is a "wonderful" source of support for him.

"Without Claire, my wife, none of this would be possible," he said. "We might take all the glory but I wouldn’t get to the start line without her. You name it she does it."

The "we" he refers to are himself, their daughter Jenny, and Jonny Meardon - Jenny's partner.

The trio will take on their marathon effort using the specialised wheelchair - pushed by Jenny and Jonny - to raise money for Myositis UK.

The condition only affects around 6,000 people in the UK so it could be described as "little known".

Pictured: From the Myositis Association website which can be accessed HERE.

"With Myositis, because it's a not very well known disease, they struggle to raise funds," said David. "It's really difficult for them to raise funds competing with so many other good causes. So we're delighted to try and help."

David's preparation for the Marathon involves losing weight to make himself lighter for Jenny and Jonny to push around the course.

It was Jenny's idea to enter, and David said he was "surprised, and thrilled. Absolutely thrilled" when she told him what she had planned.

"I got into running about 18 months ago," Jenny explained. "I wanted to push myself a little bit more, so I ran a couple of half marathons last year and it was at the point where dad had deteriorated again, and unfortunately, we can't do anything. I'd much rather be doing something, but it's just not one of those things where we can help. There's not a cure for it. So, then I thought 'OK, well, what can we do?'

"I had to do something, so I sort of spoke to the charity and I did a little bit of fundraising for them last year and a half marathon for them and then they broached the subject of would I like to do London? Would I like a place for it?

"The plan was that I was going to do it on my own just to sort of experience it, get a bit of mileage in my legs and I had this idea for two years time, 2025 then, (that we'd do it together).

"Travelling is getting more and more difficult for dad to do and it was becoming one of those difficult things. We just went 'let's do it this year'.

Neither Jenny nor Jonny have run a marathon before and nor had David - who said he was "never, ever" a runner.

But, as he said, he was "surprised and thrilled" with the idea of taking part in the marathon, especially as his condition has continued to progress.

"You get used to being a certain way and then suddenly there's another progression and you have to readjust. 

"It's been a slow acceptance, if you like and I think now I sort of have learned to live with it and learned to accept it.

"My acceptance level is much better now and I'm fortunate that I work from home, and therefore, I can carry on working."

Pictured: Jenny Rowlinson and Jonny Meardon training for the 2024 London Marathon.

Jenny lives and works in the UK, so she and Jonny are doing the majority of their training there.

She was in Guernsey last weekend though and ran from St Martin's to L'ancresse Common so she could do the weekly parkrun on Saturday morning. 

"We're so new to running," she said, "we haven't necessarily got that mileage in our legs so it's a little bit of a way off at the moment. We're getting out and trying to get as many miles as we can in. And we've got the aspect of the chair, and running with the chair is very, very different.

"You don't have the use of your arms. You're pushing rather than having the power of your arms to get you through. The steering of it is incredibly difficult. You can only steer it from the rear wheels, so there's so much to learn about that.

"We're trying to get out five or six times a week and split it so half of the runs are done with the chair, and half of them are just us trying to get our mileage up as much as possible.

"We want to raise as much money as we can for them and raise awareness for it. But actually, I suppose on a selfish level, this is also a huge memory for us. This will be massive so we're really looking forward to it."

While the London Marathon will be a three-person team effort, the Guernsey half marathon could involve many more people.

Jenny said the idea is to see as many people as they know out on the course and if people want to join in then even better.

"We're hoping for the half that we'll get as many people involved in it as we can. Dad's got a good few friends that have already said they will do a leg of it, so I think we'll probably do it as a bit of a tag team so it will be for everyone.

"We've had so so many people supporting us, and obviously we're so grateful for it but they obviously can't all come to London with us so the idea of the half marathon is that anyone who would like to come out, hopefully we can be out on the road with them."

After they've completed the half in September, David, Jenny, and Jonny will be pleased to hand the wheelchair over to the Sports Commission and they hope it will offer other people the chance to make some special memories.

"If people want to go out for a Saturday or a Sunday jog and take someone out who can't be doing this, then they'll be able to take it out," said Jenny, "that is what it's there for. It is to get people to enjoy stuff that they can't do anymore.

"I have to say that takes a bit of getting used to, but it is much lighter weight, the wheels are much bigger behind and it tilts slightly further back so it's much comfier for dad to sit in rather than a standard upright wheelchair.

"You can sort of lounge out and his legs are out in front of him, so it should be a bit more comfortable for the person sitting in it, and the handles are a bit higher, so it does make it a bit easier for us to run." 

Anyone wanting to donate to the London Marathon fundraising for Myositis UK can do so HERE.

A separate fundraising page for the Guernsey half marathon will be set up in the summer.