By Chelsey Ward
OVER 1,700 runners laced their trainers to tackle Bradford’s 10k run raising £42,000, for Epilepsy Action.
Despite the rain in the city the turnout was a record breaker – with the largest number of runners the event has ever seen.
The course is flat and fast, making it perfect for beginners and those who hoped to beat their personal best. Currently the record speed for the 10k race is 31 minutes and 2 seconds held by Tesfaye Debele.
The race, held on March 19, was won by Joe Sagar, 22, of Spenorough Athletics Club for the second year – he crossed the finishing line in 33 minutes and 13 seconds winning £100.
Chantel Spittles, of Epilepsy Action, said: “Epilepsy is something where people often know someone who’s got it or they’ve heard of it, but they don’t always know what it involves.
“It’s such a wide ranging condition that can affect anyone at any stage of their lives, it’s not necessarily something you’re born with.
“We want to get messages out there because people with epilepsy often feel very isolated or they feel they’re not understood so we want to get more education and more awareness out there to just help people feel part of life.”
The money raised from the event will go towards supporting the thousands of people with epilepsy in the UK. More than 50,000 of those who suffer live in Yorkshire and the Humber region.
James Wawrzyniak, 24, of Nottinghamshire suffers from epilepsy. He said: “I’m nearly a year clear but when it does affect me I have colonic seizures and I’m normally sick afterwards, people have questions if I’m on drugs or not when I have a seizure.
“People need to be made more aware of the warning signs I think. Epilepsy is a disability what can’t be seen and sadly people can be very ignorant towards it.”
One of the runners, Jason Robert, 35, of Bradford, said: “I don’t know anyone who suffers with epilepsy but I feel that the cause is really worthwhile.
“People with epilepsy don’t get as much support and it’s an illness that many people don’t know about. So for me to help towards supporting it is something I’m really happy to do.”
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain. When someone has epilepsy, it means they have a tendency to have epileptic seizures.
Anyone can have a one-off seizure, but this doesn’t always mean they have epilepsy. Epilepsy is usually only diagnosed if someone has had more than one seizure, and doctors think it is likely they could have more.
Epilepsy can start at any age and there are many different types. Some types of epilepsy last for a limited time and the person eventually stops having seizures. But for many people epilepsy is a life-long condition.