A Sudbury woman who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s last year will take on her 31st marathon when she heads to London for the capital’s famous race in April.
Lisa Dalton, 49, is hoping to raise as much money as possible for charity Parkinson’s UK to help find a cure for the neurological condition, which affects around 145,000 people in the UK.
It was while Lisa was running the Chelmsford Marathon in 2016 that she first noticed something was wrong with her left leg.
After many physiotherapy appointments for a suspected hamstring injury, she was eventually referred to a neurologist.
“By the time I’d seen the neurologist I was experiencing other symptoms and I had a tremor in my hand,” Lisa said.
“I’d put it down to stress, but after having some scans I was finally told that I had Parkinson’s. Bizarrely, getting the diagnosis was a huge relief for me – I finally knew what was wrong and I could move forward with my life knowing what my limitations would be.
“As soon as I found out that I had Parkinson’s I went straight home and signed up to run the London Marathon for Parkinson’s UK.
“I had always wanted to run the London Marathon; it will be my 31st marathon so far, so I thought why not take part and raise money for research and also awareness of the condition.”
Running has become more difficult for Lisa since her diagnosis, but she is determined to continue to do as much as she can.
“My running has been affected a lot since I’ve developed Parkinson’s and running is when I’m most aware of it,” she added.
“I can no longer run continuously and sometimes I have to take walking breaks. I also can’t run as fast as I used to, or up hills. I know that in the future my Parkinson’s will mean I won’t be able to run at all, so I’m trying to do as much as I can now and make the most of it.”
Lisa will join a team of 240 runners aiming to raise £325,000 for Parkinson’s UK, when she runs the London Marathon on Sunday, April 28.
Katy Payne, head of events at Parkinson’s UK, said: “Running a marathon is a huge challenge in itself, but to do it with Parkinson’s is an even bigger achievement.
“I’d like to thank Lisa for her support and wish her luck on the day. The money raised from the event will go directly towards supporting people with Parkinson’s and our pioneering research to find a cure. “We couldn’t do our work without our amazing runners like Lisa, and we’re so grateful for the support.”
To sponsor Lisa, visit her online giving page at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LisaRunsLondon
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