{"id":2306,"date":"2022-10-01T01:38:51","date_gmt":"2022-10-01T01:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/london-marathon-the-family-running-their-50th-marathon-after-campaigning-for-rule-change\/"},"modified":"2022-10-01T01:38:52","modified_gmt":"2022-10-01T01:38:52","slug":"london-marathon-the-family-running-their-50th-marathon-after-campaigning-for-rule-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/london-marathon-the-family-running-their-50th-marathon-after-campaigning-for-rule-change\/","title":{"rendered":"London Marathon: The family running their 50th marathon after campaigning for rule change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1\">\n<figure class=\"gs-u-mt0 gs-u-mb-alt+ story-body__media story-body__media--figure qa-story-body-media story-body__media--lead\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$image-0\"><span class=\"gs-u-display-block story-body__media\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$image-0.0\"><span class=\"gs-u-display-block gs-o-responsive-image\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%;\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$image-0.0.0\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"gel-brevier gs-u-ph+ gs-u-pv-alt story-body__media__caption story-body__media__caption--image\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$image-0.1\">The Kerr family have completed 49 marathons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<table class=\"gs-o-table story-body__table\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1\">\n<thead class=\"gs-o-table__head gel-brevier \" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.0\">\n<tr class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.0.$row-0\"\/><\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"gel-long-primer \" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1\">\n<tr class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1.$row-0\">\n<td class=\"gs-o-table__cell\" colspan=\"1\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1.$row-0.$td-0\"><strong data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1.$row-0.$td-0.0:0\">Date: <\/strong><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1.$row-0.$td-0.0:1\">Sunday, 2 October <\/span><strong data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1.$row-0.$td-0.0:2\">Time: <\/strong><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1.$row-0.$td-0.0:3\">08:50 BST (elite wheelchair men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s races), 09:00 BST (elite women&#8217;s race), 09:40 BST (elite men&#8217;s race and mass start)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1.$row-1\">\n<td class=\"gs-o-table__cell\" colspan=\"1\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1.$row-1.$td-0\"><strong data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1.$row-1.$td-0.0:0\">Coverage:<\/strong><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$table-1.1.$row-1.$td-0.0:1\"> Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p role=\"introduction\" class=\"qa-introduction gel-pica-bold\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-2\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-2.0\">&#8220;You don&#8217;t think about disability when you&#8217;re out running. We&#8217;re just part of the community, we&#8217;re just like everybody else.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<div data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-3\">\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-3.0\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-3.0.0\">When the Kerr family cross the finish line in the London Marathon on Sunday, it will mark the completion of their 50th marathon. An astounding achievement for anyone, but then you learn of their story.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-4\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-4.0\">David and Sandra Kerr welcomed their son, Aaron, in 1997, but when he was born, it was clear he had &#8220;some medical complications&#8221;. Now 25, Aaron is non-verbal and has a series of complex needs including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and a chromosome disorder which means he uses a wheelchair.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-5\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-5.0\">At the age of 13, he underwent a kidney transplant, the organ donated by his father, but it was at that point that Sandra started to struggle mentally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-6\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-6.0\">&#8220;At the time, I just went into automatic, and just did what I had to do,&#8221; she tells BBC Sport. &#8220;A few months afterwards, when things settled down, even though Aaron was doing very well, the enormity of it just hit me.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-7\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-7.0\">Sandra tried medication and counselling, but it was running that did the trick.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-8\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-8.0\">&#8220;It was like she was her old self, it did so much for her, not just physically, but for her mental health it was really having a benefit,&#8221; says David.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-9\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-9.0\">&#8220;I thought was there a way that we could get involved somehow as a family, we would stay fit, it would help our mental health, and it would give Aaron something as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10.0\">&#8220;It&#8217;s indescribable almost. For the first time in I don&#8217;t know how long, we actually felt that we were part of something.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-11\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-11.0\">That was in 2014. Eight years on, the Kerr family, from Annahilt, Northern Ireland, have completed 49 marathons to date, including Dublin and Manchester, with David and Sandra pushing Aaron in an adapted wheelchair. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"gs-u-mt0 gs-u-mb-alt+ story-body__media story-body__media--figure qa-story-body-media\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$image-12\"><span class=\"gs-u-display-block story-body__media\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$image-12.0\"><span class=\"gs-u-display-block gs-o-responsive-image\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%;\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$image-12.0.0\"><img src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/onesport\/cps\/624\/cpsprodpb\/649F\/production\/_126895752_whatsubject.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 800px, (min-width: 900px) 624px, (min-width: 600px) 976px, (min-width: 400px) 624px, 400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/onesport\/cps\/400\/cpsprodpb\/649F\/production\/_126895752_whatsubject.jpg 400w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/onesport\/cps\/624\/cpsprodpb\/649F\/production\/_126895752_whatsubject.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/onesport\/cps\/800\/cpsprodpb\/649F\/production\/_126895752_whatsubject.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/onesport\/cps\/976\/cpsprodpb\/649F\/production\/_126895752_whatsubject.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Aaron Kerr\" class=\"qa-srcset-image\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$image-12.0.0.0\"\/><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"gel-brevier gs-u-ph+ gs-u-pv-alt story-body__media__caption story-body__media__caption--image\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$image-12.1\">Aaron Kerr is pushed by his parents in an adapted wheelchair<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-13\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-13.0\">Next up on the calendar is the &#8220;iconic&#8221; London Marathon, a race they have long wanted to do, but this year marks the first time in which they are permitted to enter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-14\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-14.0\">Until 2022, wheelchair participants had to complete the 26.2 miles from Greenwich to Westminster under their own power, with no assistance. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-15\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-15.0\">For seven years, the Kerrs have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/av\/uk-northern-ireland-48059613\" class=\"story-body__internal-link\" title=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-15.$link-2\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-15.$link-2.0\">lobbied against the rule<\/span><\/a><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-15.3\"> but until recently, their campaigning had proved fruitless.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-16\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-16.0\">&#8220;We were delighted this year when London Marathon approached us and asked us to be part of the consultation process on the inclusive future of the event,&#8221; says David.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-17\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-17.0\">&#8220;We had meetings over the last 10 months or so to try and find a way forward so that assisted runners could take part.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-18\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-18.0\">As a result, four assisted wheelchair participants, including Aaron, are taking part in Sunday&#8217;s marathon. A maximum of four support runners per participant can help, though only two can push the wheelchair at any one time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-19\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-19.0\">It&#8217;s a huge win for the Kerrs, and one which will make lining up this weekend all the more special.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-20\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-20.0\">&#8220;He just makes us laugh every day,&#8221; says Sandra. &#8220;Aaron is just so positive, and with all the issues he has to deal with, it just amazes us just how happy he can be every day.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-21\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-21.0\">David adds: &#8220;Aaron is non-verbal, but he has a voice, he&#8217;s got something to say.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-22\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-22.0\">&#8220;People see him out on the road and he is happy, and he wants to hug and high-five everybody. What people don&#8217;t see are the hard days that Aaron has, and that&#8217;s really difficult for him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-23\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-23.0\">&#8220;To see him go out and achieve what he&#8217;s achieved, we couldn&#8217;t be more proud of him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-24\"><span data-reactid=\".v4ronxkn5s.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-24.0\">&#8220;We&#8217;re just really looking forward to seeing this guy have a great day out, because he&#8217;s earned it and he deserves it.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/athletics\/63074795?at_medium=RSS&#038;at_campaign=KARANGA\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Kerr family have completed 49 marathons Date: Sunday, 2 October Time: 08:50 BST (elite wheelchair men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s races), 09:00 BST (elite women&#8217;s race), 09:40 BST (elite men&#8217;s race and mass start) Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app. &#8220;You don&#8217;t think about disability when you&#8217;re [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2306"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2306"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2308,"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2306\/revisions\/2308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kede.com.br\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}