Worthing couple plan to run 5,000 miles this year

A WORTHING couple are taking on a year of challenging runs to help raise funds for Heart Research UK's next aortic dissection masterclass.
Kaith and Catherine Fowler Fowler will be running a combined 5,000 miles including races and training. They are from Worthing.Kaith and Catherine Fowler Fowler will be running a combined 5,000 miles including races and training. They are from Worthing.
Kaith and Catherine Fowler Fowler will be running a combined 5,000 miles including races and training. They are from Worthing.

Throughout 2016, Keith and Catherine Fowler will be running a combined 5,000 miles including races and training. They plan to raise £1 a mile, hoping to reach £5,000 in memory of Catherine’s father, Tim Fleming, who died suddenly aged 69 from an aortic dissection last year.

Aortic dissection is a condition where the main artery from the heart ruptures and can be life-threatening if left untreated. In some cases, patients may require emergency aortic arch surgery to repair the aorta, which is the largest blood vessel in the body. It affects three to four people in every 100,000 in the UK.

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As a regular runner, 37-year-old Keith, who is a member of his local club Worthing Striders, has set a physical trial of seven marathons and ultra-marathons throughout this year.

He said: “We are raising awareness and funds for the condition that took Tim’s life so suddenly and unexpectedly. We’re taking on an epic challenge for an epic man.

“I have never done so many marathons in a single year and the short time between some of the runs will be a challenge.

“We want to raise money for Heart Research UK because of the dedicated aortic dissection research and masterclasses they fund. We struggled to find anyone as dedicated to it in the UK.”

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Catherine, 39, a senior manager at EDF energy, would not consider herself a regular runner but is bravely taking on her first marathon in honour of her father Tim.

Catherine describes Tim as an immense inspiration and says everyone is so proud of him. “He was an amazing husband, an incredible father and grandfather. We all miss him so much, and it makes the pain all the more difficult to bear when we understand that AD is something that could be prevented.”

Catherine said her father always believed in a level playing field and that everyone deserved a fair chance, and now they were running the 5,000 miles to give people who suffer an Aortic Dissection a fair chance.

She added: “I am most excited for the London Marathon and running the 26.2 distance for the first time. The support will be immense and I know that Dad will be with me every step of the way!

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“I hope that some good can come from all this pain and sadness. I hope we can make a difference and I hope we can save a life. I only wish it could have been my father’s.”

From April to October, Keith will be running on a selection of terrains from the streets of Brighton with a backdrop of the sea during the Brighton Marathon, to the scenic countryside of Worthing in the Three Forts Marathon.

He also plans to tackle a tough 50 km race along the paths of the High Weald Challenge, running over a picturesque route of rolling hills and ancient woodlands. Other races include South Down Marathon, Bacchus Marathon and Beachy Head Marathon.

Keith and Catherine are also planning to take part in the Richmond half marathon on 18 September, which falls significantly the day before the first global Aortic Dissection Awareness Day, as well as Richmond being the area where Tim lived.

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They hope their family will join in that run including their two children, Clodagh, aged 6 and Paddy, aged 4 as there is a mini mile run.

Keith and Catherine will be covering all entry fees, so every penny of their target of £5,000 raised will go directly towards the aortic dissection masterclass fund as well as supporting other research into aortic dissection treatments.

Heart Research UK has already funded two masterclasses in the last two years, where cardiac surgeons can learn specialist knowledge and skills along with added hands-on experience with leading experts in surgery techniques. These can then be used and shared in centres across the country.

The next masterclass will cost £25,000. The charity has recently created an Aortic Dissection Fundraising Support Group on Facebook (www.facebook.com/aorticdissectionHRUK) which has brought together people like Keith who want to raise money and awareness of aortic dissection and building a strong community of those wanting to make a difference in this field.

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Besides the masterclasses, Heart Research UK has also awarded grants which will aim to help aortic dissection patients. Recently, a team led by Dr Alberto Figueroa at Kings College London and St Thomas’s Hospital, completed a Translational Research Grant of £93,032, to research the use of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to provide a virtual model of the diseased aorta.

The results were promising and showed MRI is a safer method than using the currently used CT scan. It will help doctors making decisions on how and when it is best to treat aortic dissection.

To donate to Catherine and Keith’s cause all donations will be gratefully received at www.runningforAD.org or simply text TIMF69 and amount (eg £10) to 70070

For further information please contact Chris Child on 0113 297 6207

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