Darren started running back in 2016 after a type-2 diabetes diagnosis jolted him into action. He began jogging, took part in his local Parkrun and ran a 10k race a year later. He then joined a running club, ran his first half marathon, and in 2019 ended up taking on the London Landmarks Half Marathon for The Lily Foundation.
“The Lily Foundation means a lot to my family and I,” he says. “My wife’s goddaughter, Tirion, was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease and passed away in April 2018. I know how much the charity supported Tirion’s parents, Steve and Helen, and still do. I’d never heard of mito until her diagnosis.”
Last year, Darren took voluntary redundancy and, with all that free time, found himself running four or five times a week. Deciding to do something constructive, he came up with a charity challenge that would put his running to good use, help spread the word about mito and raise funds for The Lily Foundation.
Rather than a one-off event, he wanted to challenge himself over a significant period of time, and that’s how ’30 Halves in 30 Days’ came about. “I’d done a lot of running on my own,” he explains, “which can be a bit solitary and quite hard mentally. So I decided I wanted to run with other people. I chose half marathons because a 5k or 10k every day wouldn’t really have challenged me, but I didn’t want to put other people off.”
He set up a JustGiving page and began to tell his story through social media. The money, and the running offers, started coming in and on 1st November Darren ran the first half marathon of his challenge. “I always let the person I was running with choose the route,” he says. “Keeping it new and interesting was important. We did some trail routes as well as road runs to keep it more exciting.”
Some routes were local to his hometown of Taunton, while others took him into the nearby Quantock and Brendon Hills, and further afield into North Devon and Dorset. At times the weather proved as challenging as the run. “The second day of November was Storm Ciarán,” laughs Darren, “and I had no one to run with. It lashed it down, so I stayed within a mile or two of home – just in case!”
Water, water everywhere
Every day brought new adventures for Darren, with water being a near-constant theme. From wading through flooded country lanes and running through mud to getting lost and climbing over a hedge – a diversion that added extra miles to an already punishing regime – these were the tales that made the whole experience memorable for Darren.
He ran with seasoned runners and novices, even cyclists at times. “It was never about breaking records,” he insists. “I ran with people of different speeds, and if they were faster, they slowed down for me, and if I was faster vice versa.”
His story gathered pace each day, and one supporter even donated twice – once at the start of the challenge and again later on. Darren has raised over £2500 in total, smashing his original £1000 target, and has become a bit of a celebrity around Taunton, where he’s easily recognised running in his Lily t-shirt and bandana.
On the last day of November, Darren went to Chepstow and ran with Helen, Tirion’s mum. “I wanted to do something special,” he reflects, “so Helen came out on her bike and we went along the Severn Bridge and back. It was freezing cold with a north-easterly wind chill that felt like minus 10! We finished at Chepstow Castle, and we’d arranged to have a special charity cheque presented so we did a little photo opportunity to mark the end, but not the end.”
Because the challenge didn’t finish there. Although Darren had achieved his original target, the story had built so much momentum on social media that people were still asking to run with him. He decided to carry on until December, eventually agreeing with his wife to stop after the 50th run.
Out but not down
Unfortunately, fate had other ideas, and a calf injury finally put an end to the challenge after 39 days. “I’m disappointed I didn’t get to 50,” says Darren, “but I raised awareness about mito, made lots of money for The Lily Foundation and ran with loads of different people. A lot of people told me I’d inspired them, and everyone was interested to hear about the charity. And the fact there’s currently no cure for mito, I think that makes it even more compelling.”
What has Darren learnt about himself during this incredible feat? “The first couple of days,” he says, “you do the run, your body aches and you rest. As time went on, I thought my body would collapse but it didn’t. I got stronger and fitter, and the recovery times became shorter. I did some of my fastest half marathons later in the month, which really surprised me.”
And something else unexpected came out of the challenge. “I achieved my three objectives, but I also made lots of new friends,” he explains. “I only ever knew some runners because they’d followed me on Strava, but I’ve formed new friendships and still see and run with them now.”
What’s next for Darren? “I do really need to get back to work,” he chuckles. “That redundancy money won’t last forever. On the running front, I’m contemplating doing a 100k, but really I’m just doing it to improve my health and fitness. I’m not trying to break any records – I just like running in the countryside, exploring new places and taking photos as I go.”
While Darren’s challenge may be over for now, it’s not too late to sponsor him and help bring hope to everyone affected by mitochondrial disease. And perhaps one day, once Darren’s settled into a new job, he’ll come up with another idea to raise more funds and awareness for Lily.
