2000 runners take part in 5K fun run to raise money for Heart Research UK
Thousands of runners took on a 5K fun run with an inflatable obstacle section in Newport to raise money for Heart Research UK.
The family-friendly Subway Helping Heart™ Family 5K race, run in partnership between the Subway® brand and national charity Heart Research UK, saw families from Newport and beyond run, walk and even push buggies around the 5K course, including through the ‘Field of Fresh’ – a giant, inflatable obstacle course inspired by the Subway® stores menu.
All sponsorship money raised by runners and the entry fee goes towards the Heart Research UK and Subway® Healthy Heart grant scheme. This initiative provides up to £10,000 each to local projects in Wales, that actively promotes helping heart health in the community.
One family attending the event were Adric and Fiona with their two sons Stephen and Stewart.
In April, Adric, a keen cycler, went cycling with some friends but when he returned home he felt very ill with a tight chest. Fiona wanted him to go to hospital straight away but Adric wasn’t keen, in the morning, still not feeling great, he went to A&E.
Adric says, “I had my bloods done, some x-rays and an ECG but the staff said the results wouldn’t be in for a while, we were hungry so asked if we could go into town. The staff said we shouldn’t really but we did, did a bit of shopping and got some food, then we got a phone call from the hospital.
“They said I needed to come back straight away and when I got back I got taken into a room where they said I needed an angiogram. I was diagnosed with spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a fairly uncommon but very serious emergency condition where one of the blood vessels in the heart tears.”
Luckily, Adric did not require surgery and his condition is now controlled. He was able to enjoy the Subway Helping Heart™ Family 5K race with his family after a scary couple of months.
Adric says, “I’m so glad we did this event again. We’ve done it in previous years but obviously this year it is so much more relevant to us.
“When I was diagnosed I looked online and it said there was a 70% mortality rate which is pretty scary. I feel so lucky to be here and to be able to run today. Sadly, we missed our holiday to Florida because of my diagnosis so it was wonderful to have a nice family day out together.”
Notes
1850 runners took part.
Photographs of the race hyperlinked below:
Newport 5K Case study – Adric (R), Fiona and two sons Stephen and Stewart
A hug at the finish line Newport 5K
Heart Research UK and Subway® Healthy Heart Grants for 2018 are available for the following regions:
Central, Tyne Tees, Yorkshire, HTV (Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset), Wales, Northern Ireland, West Country (Cornwall, Devon and Dorset), Scotland, Meridian, Granada, Carlton and Anglia.
Current local community grants can be seen here: https://heartresearch.org.uk/
The day also featured Subway® partner NFL. They were teaching participants the basics of flag football as part of their NFL Flag Presented by Subway® programme. Teachers and school staff can request for NFL Flag to be brought to their school by filling out a registration form on http://www.nfluk.com/news/
