Up and running for BRACE

Wards Solicitors' personal injury lawyer Richard Green is putting on his running shoes once again to raise money for its charity of the year, BRACE.

Later this month, he will take part in the Bristol Half Marathon to help the Bristol-based charity which supports vital medical research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's.

Richard, based in North Somerset, is on a personal mission to improve his fitness following what he calls an 'indelicate but well-meaning comment' by a shop assistant in a well-known men's outfitters back in January 2015.

Since then, he's taken up running in a major way, lost more than four stones and in May completed the Bristol 10k race raising more than £600 for the National Autistic Society.

Blisters won't stop him

Extremely excited about his first half marathon, he is taking his training regime very seriously.

"I have upped my training big time," he says. "In the last three months I have been going to the gym twice a week, usually done a 5k run twice a week before work and then a long run at the weekend. I have run through all weather. I have run with blisters. I have done this while juggling work and childcare. My furthest so far is 19k and, while doing that, I smashed my personal best for 10k and 5k as split times.

"I am looking forward to starting the race now, but I would love this to mean much more just than a personal milestone for me. I would like to raise as much money for BRACE as possible."