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as i wrote my goals for 2025 the black pen glided over the diary page, january 1st.
“run a 50k ultramarathon”.
for context i am 62.
i have two replacement hips.
and i have parkinsons.
for more context, i have run two ultramarathons before, race to the stones in 2015, and marathon des sables, allegedly the toughest footrace on earth, in 2016.
2025 i decided to push myself, and hopefully inspire others with parkinsons.
my 2025 was a busy one, and my other goal of doing 12 public speaking engagements had consumed me.
it was nearing the end of august and i only had four months left to train and complete my 50k.
i jumped back onto the race to the stones website.
and there it was.
kerry’s 16 week 50k training plan.
it looked thorough, and very easy to navigate.
i was in.
i quit booze and chocolate 100%, and committed to kerry.
unbeknownst to her, as we had no contact, i stuck religiously to her plan.
i announced i was doing this to my friends and family, for accountability, which i find works well for me, and searched for a race with lengthy cutoff times, as i am very slow.
16 weeks took me to december, and i couldn’t find a race at this time.
no problem, i will run 50k locally i thought.
obstacle removed.
i ran.
i rested.
i ran some more.
i did what the programme told me.
and i grew strong.
my legs.
my respiratory system.
stronger and stronger.
and in december i was ready.
my planned day was saturday, and all week was predicted biblical rains, with wednesday being the only dry day.
so i shifted the plan, and on wednesday 3rd december i drove to a local park, three days ahead of plan, and set about running 50 kilometres, aka 31.06 miles.
so if you’ve run a marathon, just think about how you felt at the end, and then running another five miles.
i parked up, and set off, very randomly, the only sure thing being i was going to use my car as an aid station, with food, hydration, clean running kit, and spare running shoes, if needed.
i had run 35k on my training schedule, and this system worked brilliantly, so psychologically i was happy.
i had trained using everything i would be using, hydration, with nuun isotonic tablets, food, using clif bars and jellies, the same kit, with the addition of tape for my nipples, as the 35k had caused some chaffing.
i headed off.
the weather was dry and cool, perfect for running for me.
one thing that had gone wrong was i locked my car key, with a failing battery, and my phone in my car.
but rather than panicking, my watch recorded my mileage, and i found a guy fishing the parks lake, who allowed me to call tania on his phone, even though he wouldn’t let me hold the phone, i obviously looked dodgy…
she didn’t answer, so i left a message asking her to meet me at the car at 10.30am.
we met up with the spare key, and normal service resumed.
the reason for telling you this, is to highlight that you can prepare as much as possible for life’s adventures, but things go wrong.
it’s how you handle the obstacle that matters.
control the controllable.
i ran.
and i ran.
and i loved every minute.
with the blend of psychological and physical pressure, especially managing my parkinsons, all stretching me very hard.
but, i did it.
no crowd.
no fanfare.
no medal.
but a great pride in what we had achieved.
me and coach kerry.
so, after the dust settled, i decided to find kerry and tell her my story.
i reached out, and here we are.
i’d like to say a huge thank you to kerry, and her programme, i literally couldn’t have done it without her, and to anybody reading this contemplating running any distance.
if you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.
but, like everything in life, get a mentor or a coach, and they will help you achieve what might seem impossible, and can change your life, for good.
in other news, sydney, chloe’s new kidney, has shown a little rejection, so she has been put on steroids to try to get things back on track, and she has a hospital appointment today which will hopefully show they are working.
this process is a challenging one, which she is facing head on, and handling in such a brave fashion, and she has returned to work this week after three months off, which has literally flown by, and considering what she has been through her energy is insane.
it’s great to have her back.
this year promises to be an exciting one for bigmoose, and our plan is to continue to sustain the ability to help the increasing number of people that need us, with no cost, which will still be mine and chloe’s goal.
we feel so strongly about this because we still think the ability to pay for therapy should not be a barrier, and help should not just be given to those who can afford it, and personally it does still feel somewhat dickensian the way our modern society operates, but rather than becoming frustrated, we use it as fuel to drive us on, resolute in our quest to change things for good, but cometh the end of the blog, cometh the request for help..
here are three ways you personally can help us continue on our quest.
1. link us in to any businesses that might want to support us, there will be someone reading this that has a contact i’m sure of it, is it you?
2. connect us to any philanthropists you know who might be able to help us.
3. help us today by signing up to make a monthly donation, any size you can afford will help, here is a quick and easy link.
and in advance, i’d like to thank you for reading, thank you for supporting, and thank you for donating if you can afford it.
blue skies,
jeff
