Tube line runner Stephen Wright completes 435 mile fundraising challenge after losing third child
10:12am Sunday 4th September 2011 in News By Robert Fisk
Stephen Wright has completed his 435 mile challenge
LOSING a third baby spurred a runner on to complete a 435 mile fundraising run he had started in memory of his twins.
Back in May when everybody was caught up in Royal wedding fever Stephen Wright and his wife Zoe, of Roseberry Gardens, Orpington, were expecting to be able to announce their own happy news.
Mrs Wright was expecting a baby boy five years after she had a late miscarriage and lost twins but at 22 weeks there were complications.
She was rushed to St Thomas’s Hospital in Waterloo where she suffered another late miscarriage, losing a son Thomas who weighed just 1lb 1oz.
This loss came when Mr Wright was 60 per cent of the way through running the complete length of the London Underground network and Docklands Light Railway.
Instead of giving up he was determined to complete the full distance of the tube lines for his three children who were all born too soon.
And he did it for the many other couples he has met along the way who have gone through similar losses.
The 35-year-old said: “You have an idea about how you’re likely to feel the second time round [but] it did not make it any easier.
“Raising awareness became acutely important yet each step now carried even more weight than before.
“It almost spurred me on to see it differently and doing it as something positive for all the children who die early.”
By completing the 435 mile run he becomes the first person to ever run the entire length of the London Underground network and Docklands Light Railway.
It took him 10 months to complete and saw him raise more than £6,000 for the stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands.
The financial analyst for the Home Office said: “If I can help to raise awareness of these issues and get people talking and sharing their experiences, then I will feel that I have helped to make a difference.”
Donate to Sands at runningthetubelines.com/donate/
TIMELINE
2006 - Stephen Wright and his wife Zoe suffer a second-trimester miscarriage of twins.
November 2010 - Mr Wright starts his 435 mile challenge and runs 53 miles.
May 2011 - Stephen Wright and his wife Zoe suffer a miscarriage at 22 weeks, losing their son Thomas.
Mr Wright continues his run in memory of his three children and completes another 11 miles.
August 2011 – Mr Wright completes his challenge by running the remaining 58 miles.
September – Mr Wright considers what transport run to do next with the Croydon Tramlink, Paris Metro and bus routes all possibilities.
smurf4568 says...
11:44am Mon 5 Sep 11