Tim Wells is getting ready to tackle the Runaway Sydney Half Marathon on May 5 in honour of his father Geoff.
Sadly, Geoff lost his battle with MND within just six months after being diagnosed.
After his family received support from MND NSW, Tim has now gone out of his comfort zone to raise funds for MND NSW to ensure other families facing MND can get the assistance they need.
“When dad was diagnosed in July 2022, the information and support we got from MND NSW was incredible, so now I’m trying to raise money to help, so MND NSW can assist other families,” Tim said.
“MND has an impact on the whole family. My dad battled with it only 5-6 months, he had an aggressive form. It was my mum who was dad’s primary carer, and myself and my siblings were helping out where we could as well.”
Deciding to run a half marathon is no easy feat – but that didn’t stop Tim signing up, especially when it meant making a real difference to the lives of people facing MND and their families.
“I’m doing this to raise awareness and raise funds. Doing a challenge like this will push me – and when I think about dad, it’s a battle, for the person who experiences MND but also for everyone else who witness and goes through the emotions,” Time said.
“There is so much for funding for research into cure, and also in the immediate future in helping people who have been diagnosed, and in helping support their families.”
Tim said he is ‘very happy to be doing this’, and has been blown away by the support he’s received, raising nearly $8,000.
“I thought I’d sign up to do the half marathon and maybe raise around $2,000 to support people living with MND. But the support really came in from friends, family, and work friends, and the donations just kept growing and growing – so I’m going to be a bit more ambitious and aim to raise $15,000 now,” Tim said.
“I put the word out on social media, telling friends and then my professional network. People who knew me, or knew my dad, reached out and supported me.”
In addition to his amazing efforts fundraising for MND NSW, Tim has also been busy getting ready for the big event.
“I keep on doing training runs, I haven’t been much of a runner and the idea to do a half marathon came out of the blue. I’m doing a few runs a week, and my mates have come to join me for my runs. Heaps of people have reached out, and it keeps you accountable if you have someone going for a run with you at 6am!” he said.
With friends also encouraging him to be speedy enough to finish in just a couple of hours with a friendly wager, there’s a little extra incentive to do the best he can in the marathon and to support people living with MND.
“I’m locked in now- there’s no backing out, and there’s plenty of motivation,” Tim said.
“But finishing in under two hours is pretty quick for someone who hasn’t really done a lot of long-distance running. I might owe friends a few beers,” he laughed.
Support Tim by donating to his fundraising page now here.
If you'd like to join the Runaway Sydney Half Marathon and support MND NSW like Tim, register now here.