In November or December 2014 a dear friend and long-time running buddy of mine, Neil Parrock, suggested we run the Big Red Run (an idea of his he still strongly denies!). He then disappeared overseas for work and as the deadline for applications fast approached, I had to make a call…..so I did….and signed us both up. By this time it was late January 2015 so I sent him an email with a copy of his entry so that he knew he had to start training. Having had a an extended break from running myself, I knew I was pushing it to get fit for the 250km multi-stage race through the Simpson Desert in Queensland, Australia to be held in June that year. My preparation went downhill from then with work commitments and illness….not the build-up I needed in such a short space of time.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, Neil and I, along with my family, made the 2,000km road trip out to Birdsville in our trusty van and both successfully completed the 6 day event and in doing so raised nearly $10,000 for the charity the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. JDRF is the world’s leading not-for-profit supporter of type 1 diabetes research. They bring research results into the lives of people living with type 1 diabetes and work towards a cure. They also provide support to the type 1 diabetes community with information, resources and personal connection.
If you’d like to support me raising money for JDRF then please click here to donate…every little helps.
https://bigredrun2016.everydayhero.com/au/jamie
HOWEVER, for me, this was one major event that changed my life. I’d aways enjoyed running but the challenge of organising myself and my kit (Food, clothing etc) and travelling on foot through such a beautiful and remote region was amazing. The people that I met and interacted with on a daily basis were driven, like-minded and so pleasant, genuine and down to earth. The camp stories and camaraderie in a group of strangers all struggling individually and facing the same challenges collectively was a beautiful and emotional experience. It is this that I loved the most about my Big Red Run adventure in 2015 and the very thing that has brought me back to the same event this year….along with a good dose of bullying, in the nicest way, from my good friend Rowena Fraser ;o)
