Health and fitness coach Martin Sharp has never liked running, but this Sunday he will take on the York 10K to raise money for charity.
Despite being an avid walker, Martin had previously avoided running, but in January he promised himself to join his wife Sarah and Jane Tomlinson in their Run for All event.
And since he started training for 10km races he’s actually started to enjoy running and has already qualified for the Yorkshire 10 Mile race in October.
Martin hopes to complete the 10km race, which starts and finishes on Knavesmire Road near York Racecourse, in under an hour.
Recommended reading:
And he’s raising funds for the RNLI, the charity he supported by walking 109 miles across North Yorkshire in just five days last June.
The 48-year-old, from York, said: “In January I promised my wife that I would help her by running a 10k marathon with me – one of her bucket lists. The problem was, I’m not a runner and I have asthma, so it took me six months to prepare.”
“It took about four months of perseverance and not much fun, but now I absolutely love running five days a week. I always encourage my clients to find something they’re passionate about to improve their fitness, as that makes it easier to stick to it.”
“But even though I never always loved running, I’m now glad that I took up the sport. The responsibility of running 10km for charity and in support of Sarah is what kept me going when I felt like giving up.”
The journey from non-runner to runner hasn’t always been easy, with a shoulder injury and then an outbreak of COVID-19 putting an end to her training, but Martin is hopeful Sunday’s meet will go well and be the start of a series of running competitions.
Martin will run the Yorkshire 10 Mile in York on October 20, as well as the Milton Keynes Marathon in May next year.
Anyone who would like to support Martin by donating to the RNLI can do so on their JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/martinsharp-york10k-2024
