Taking road to recovery from tragedy
AMAN who took up running to raise cash after his husband was diagnosed with a terminal disease, and then used it to help him recover from a breakdown, has set up his own running group with the aim of helping others.
Simeon Farrington Newman, 42, from Stockport originally took up running 12 years ago after his GP told him he needed to lose some weight and get his blood pressure down, but was forced to stop by a number of health issues.
However, in 2012 his husband Mark was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Multiple Myeloma.
Simeon decided he wanted to raise money for Myeloma UK by running the Greater Manchester Marathon.
Sadly, Mark passed away just a few weeks after he completed the 26-mile race.
In 2015, following another sudden family death, Simeon had a breakdown – but found that the only thing that made him feel at peace with the world was running.
He said: “I discovered that when out running I was able to clear all the ●●Simeon Farrington-Newman with his husband Mark, who sadly passed away noise from my mind and just focus on the run itself.
“Without running I think my recovery would have taken a lot longer.
“I was aware of the mental health benefits of exercise but this was really the first time I’d experienced them first hand.”
As a result of this experience Simeon became an advocate of running for mental health, and subsequently decided to qualify as an England Athletics Run Leader.
He set up his own group, RunTogether Lyme Runner, with trail-based sessions in Lyme Park.
Simeon, who lives in Hazel Grove, added: “I wanted the group to exist for the enjoyment of the moment, to be able to run and forget about all the complications of life, rather than something competitive.
“I love being a run leader because it allows me to pass on the experience and enjoyment of running.
“We work together as a group, making sure nobody gets left behind, and that ethos works really well.
“Running is a place of safety, and it has helped me through some very difficult times in my life.
It allows me to step away from the rigmarole of living in 2017 and focus on the present; the here and now.”
For more information, visit the website at runtogether.co.uk.