RUNNING GIVES US SO MUCH - AND THESE THREE WOMEN WANTED TO MAKE SURE OTHERS COULD FEEL THE BENEFITS, TOO

WORDS: LISA JACKSON PHOTOS: LLOYD PARKRUN, LISA JACKSON, TRISHA RANDALL - SVN

Dee Rand (left) on aid station duties with her fellow naughty elves, Helen Cleary (centre) and Jackie Hearn

”I take photos and assist at aid stations to help runners achieve their goals”

“I wasn’t going to let having ME stop me participating fully in the running world and, so far, I’ve volunteered at about 230 events,” says Dee Rand, 47, from Eltham. “I adored sport at school: pretty much whatever was on offer, I’d do. I loved being in the netball and athletics teams and competed at district level in the high jump and 100m in primary school, and at county level for the discus and netball in secondary school. Nowadays, the symptoms of ME mean it takes me ages to complete even 5K but, when I do, although it’s exhausting, I feel like it’s a hell of an achievement.

“When I was diagnosed with ME in 2011, my confidence went through the floor, so much so that I was unable to go out on my own. This still happens but not as often. Everyone with ME has varying symptoms, from being entirely bed-bound to managing a life that is downgraded from what they used to enjoy. I had to retire from my job as a private client service officer, and find that I’m not very good with crowds and noise. I also have word and number blindness, and difficulty with finding the right words when I’m speaking, which is why ME affected my confidence so badly. Thankfully I’ve become a lot more confident in the two-and-a-half years since my husband Phil started running and I’m very grateful for that.