We’ve written about Julian before, not just because we’re in awe of his incredible running prowess, but also because we want to know what he has for breakfast! Julian completed his 100th half marathon on the hottest day of the year. Superpowers were surely out in force that day!
And who better to explain, in his own words, exactly what drives our Super Running Man…
“There was only going to be one race, in which to celebrate my milestone….. the New Forest Half Marathon.
My first Half Marathon, in 2001, was on the original route (starting and finishing in New Milton). The plan was just to run it once, but here we are on the verge of 100!
My second Half Marathon was in 2006. In December 2005, my Mum was diagnosed with cancer. She was so proud when I ran my first half, so I decided to run the New Forest Half again, to raise money for New Milton Eagles FC (my football team) and Oakhaven Hospice (the hospice that looked after my Mum). She passed away in August 2006, a month before the run. As I would now be running in memory of my Mum, it sparked the idea of “Run For Mum”. I was joined by Martin Church (one of my mates / football team mates).
The following years (from 2007 to 2013) saw more of the Eagles team turn out for the Run For Mum. At our most, we had 14 of the team out on the course. I continued to run the New Forest Half every year (I haven’t missed a year since 2006 - I even ran the old course, on my own when there wasn’t an official race), whilst also starting to sign up for other events.
In 2018, I ran my 50th Half Marathon at the New Forest, on their new (and current) course and invited 50 people to come and join me. It was an incredible experience seeing my friends in the yellow Run For Mum t-shirts.
The next 49 Halves included the Great North Run, Disneyworld, Alton Towers, Cardiff and Amsterdam, as well as two more memorable New Forest experiences. In 2020 I ran the New Forest Marathon on Saturday and the Half on Sunday. In 2021, I went a step further and ran the New Forest 5k and Marathon on Saturday and 10k and Half on Sunday!
Having set my sights on the New Forest being my 100th (as it holds so many great memories), I then decided that I was going to set an even more stretching goal to find 100 people to run with me - across the various distances that they offer on the day!
The Run For Mum 100 team actually has 119 active participants across the Woodland Walk, 5k, 10k, Half and Full Marathon. As well as a high number of local runners (friends, relatives and work colleagues), there are also people travelling from Bristol, Cheshire, London, Birmingham, Bedford, Gloucester and Warwick to be there on the day.
In addition, there will are 10 walkers and runners across England (Cornwall, Chester, Kent, Norfolk and Milton Keynes!!) and another 20 runners (that I’ve met at various other races) taking part in Australia, Canada, France, Malaysia, Spain, Sweden and USA! We will be dressed in the bright yellow Run For Mum 100 t-shirts.
As well as celebrating my 100th Half, I will be also be remembering my Mum and Dad, plus other friends and family that are no longer with us. We will be raising money for The Genie’s Wish and Supershoes, through our t-shirt sales, and Oakhaven Hospice. All three are wonderful charities that make a real difference to the people that they support.
I am looking forward to seeing the “sea of yellow” as we make our way through the New Forest on 10th September… it will be a memorable day for sure. 