Runners share reasons for tackling city's 10K

A mother raising money for life-saving treatment for her son is among thousands of runners taking part in this year’s Leeds 10K race later.

The event, which starts at 09:00 BST at University of Leeds and finishes in the city centre, has become one of the city’s biggest fundraising opportunities.

Jasmin Matharu’s son has an extremely rare genetic condition that causes disruption to the signals between nerve cells in the brain.

The funds raised from running the event will help Jasmin pay for treatment in the US that could potentially slow or alter the progression of the condition – a cause that “means everything”, she said.

Jasmin, 34, from Wakefield, said her “world stopped” when her son was diagnosed with TUBB4A-related leukodystrophy when he was eight months old.

Despite this, he continues to fight every day, she added, although she “does not know” what the future looks like.

She hopes to eventually raise £200,000 to cover hospital care costs at Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago throughout the two-year programme.

The family will have to relocate to Chicago, so she is “putting her best foot forward” with the run to raise awareness and donations, she said.

The Leeds 10K Run For All was set up by the Jane Tomlinson Appeal 15 years ago to raise money to improve the lives of people with cancer after its founder died of the disease in 2007. She was 43.

Clair Grubb, 54, has lived with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis for 17 years and is running the 10K after taking up the sport last year, despite her debilitating condition.

Her husband, Chris, 51, said Clair “refuses to let MS define her” and faces every obstacle with “courage, grace, and determination”.

He added: “People will see someone crossing a finish line by what I see as 17 years of resilience crossing it with her.”

The couple, from Driffield in East Yorkshire, will take on the race together.

Clair admitted she was nervous but said she caught “the running bug” after waking up one day last May determined to get fitter.

She said the main effects of MS is fatigue and a sensation like an electric shock running through her body at times.

It can also affect her speech, she said.

“I don’t like to stand in the limelight and be the centre of attention so it’s quite emotional,” said Clair.

Chris added: “It’s amazing. I’ve got a running partner now – the love of my life.”

He described her as “extraordinary”.

Jamie Wrighton, 41, from Barnoldswick, Lancashire, is running in support of the Stroke Association – a cause he said is “deeply personal”.

In January, he and his wife Laura discovered their unborn son, now aged three months, had experienced a perinatal stroke, meaning he suffered a brain injury before he was born.

The couple described it as an “incredibly frightening and uncertain time” that was “filled with questions, worry, and a deep sense of helplessness”.

Jamie is also taking on the Great North Run for the same cause, and said these feats represent far more than a physical challenge.

“I’m running for my son, and to help raise awareness of a condition that affects so many families, often without warning,” he added.

“It’s my way of turning something painful into something positive, while helping others who may be going through similar experiences.”

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