TWO COVENTRY brothers have joined forces to complete the latest in a series of European half marathons in an attempt to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society.
Jason Stevens invited younger brother Joseph to join himself and fellow runner Cameron Lund for the Davos half marathon in the depths of the Swiss mountains.
Jason and Cameron, both work colleagues, decided to combine their love for travelling and passion for running by taking part in 12 half marathons in 12 different countries throughout the 12 calendar months this year.
Starting in Marrakesh, the pair have already completed seven of the 12 half marathons – taking in cities including Barcelona, Paris, Budapest, Dubrovnik and Scotland’s Isle of Skye.
This weekend will mark the eighth half marathon for Jason and Cameron, who have completed each race with a different person – be it a family member or a friend.
The pair will travel to Ireland for the annual Dublin half marathon before finishing their gruelling schedule in Oslo, Amsterdam, Palermo and finally Lisbon.
Davos marked the first half marathon where Jason was joined by his brother – and it proved to be a run where the heat was the biggest test for the trio.
Speaking to The Observer, Jason said the biggest challenge of the tour so far has been coping with the different climates while running.
Jason said: “I had never completed a half marathon until last year and my first attempt at one was tough, though the sense of achievement when crossing that finish line was incredible.
“The whole idea of completing 12 half marathons in 12 different countries across Europe combined our thoughts of raising funds for charity and travelling – it’s a lot of fun.
“We knew it would be difficult but we’re raising funds for a worthy cause so our pain when entering the final mile isn’t comparable to the strain Alzheimer’s puts on families.”
Despite deciding to complete the 12 half marathons while discussing the idea at a festival, the pair have decided to raise funds for Alzheimer’s UK after Cameron’s house mate has a personal link to the disease.
Jason added: “Cameron has a link to Alzheimer’s as his house mate’s grandmother suffers from the disease.
“When you look into the stats and figures, Alzheimer’s is one of the most costly illnesses in the world so we want to do our bit and raise any money we can.
“So far we’ve completed six of the 12 runs, it’s tricky as each of the races takes place in a different climate.
“It is great fun though as running a half marathon is a unique way of the city.
“Sometimes you don’t notice you’re actually taking part in the half marathon as you spend most the race looking at all the beautiful scenery, that’s the best part of running for sure.”
With four half marathons left on their schedule, Jason was quick to thank the support from his friends, family and colleagues as the pair stride towards breaking the £2,000 fundraising mark.
He said: “The support we’ve received has been incredible.
“So far a different person has completed each half marathon with both myself and Cameron.
“My mum’s been involved, we’ve met friends and had the full support of our family.
“We have a fundraising event planned for September where the money raised will be added to our overall total – we’ll do something similar at the end of the year to keep people in the loop.”
To keep up to date with Jason and Cameron’s mission, visit www.facebook.com/runeuropeUK where further details about fundraising are listed.
