I ran the London Marathon for the NAS in 2008 and this year I decided on 'Newcastle to Nice via Portsmouth' (the Bupa Great North Run, Victory for Autism Cycle Ride, the NAS's bespoke 60k cycle ride from Woking to Portsmouth, and the forthcoming Riviera Marathon), all to raise money for the NAS.
I'm attaching a picture of why I choose to take part in these events (right) - it's Harry, my 15-year-old son, who has autism. His educational needs can't be met in the county in which we live, so he attends a unit in a neighbouring county every day. Unless organisations like the NAS campaign on behalf of people with autism, more people will be deprived of the support they need. Our MP is very used to hearing from us with each new NAS campaign!
Harry loves running and cycling too, so we often train together. He's done some 10k runs with me and he would love to run a marathon with me one day. As a GP, my patients love supporting such a worthwhile cause, and it sends a positive health message to them as well.
Andy Theobald
Find out more about our active challenge events here.