A visiting academic is swapping sweet treats for long-distance running in a personal challenge.
James Edwards, who comes from Carmarthen, will be taking part in the London Marathon to collect funds for Cure DHDDS, a charity helping families affected by an unusual neurological disorder.
Cure DHDDS supports those carrying a DHDDS gene mutation—a disease affecting fewer than 70 individuals worldwide and causing progressive neurological decline from early childhood onwards.
Dr Edwards, who works at Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, considers this marathon place a rare opportunity for the charity, and he wanted to do whatever he could to make it count for them.
The academic, nicknamed the Plodding Professor, has turned his training into a series of increasingly difficult tasks, each followed by pudding. He believes some traditions should continue.
His activities began with a 6km Inklings Challenge, connecting where writers J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are buried in Oxford.
Running between the graves of literary icons felt like a good way to add some narrative excitement to his preparation, and if Frodo could cover 1,800 miles, he felt he could at least manage some Oxford miles.
Dr Edwards set up an Instagram account to record his progress and raise awareness—something he points out is almost as hard as the running itself. While his posts contain levity, he stresses that the struggles faced by families with DHDDS are far more serious.
The organisation, Cure DHDDS, was founded by a family from London after two of their children were diagnosed. Because of how uncommon it is, research is scarce and support for affected families is limited.
Dr Edwards believes families dealing with DHDDS have felt overlooked by the system, and many feel profoundly isolated and worried about what lies ahead for their loved ones.
His preparation has included various themed runs, such as the College to College Plod traversing all 44 Oxford colleges, a riverside run along the upper Thames, and a 15-mile journey to Blenheim Palace—his version of the marathon’s Buckingham Palace finale.
He noted that there were fewer spectators but more sheep, and it felt rather like being back home.
He also tried a four-minute mile attempt at the track where Roger Bannister broke the record in 1954. He believes simply finishing without being overtaken by a brisk walker would count as progress.
Dr Edwards’ effort is part of a wider campaign to boost awareness for this uncommon condition. Wellwishers can monitor his marathon preparations on the internet as he runs through Oxford and the surrounding region.