Runner records personal best in bid to raise £5,000 for Alzheimer’s charity
David Blitz competing in year-long series of challenges to raise money for Alzheimer's Research UK
Andrew Sherwood is the Jewish News Sport and Community Editor
Runner David Blitz recorded a personal best at last weekend’s Hertfordshire Half Marathon – the latest in a series of challenges he’s undertaken over the course of the year in his quest to raise £5,000 in memory of his grandmother.
The 37-year-old from Chigwell is no stranger to running, seeing how he picks a charity at the start of each year and spends the next 12 months competing in a variety of challenges to raise money for it.
This year’s chosen charity for the father-of-two was a particularly poignant one. As he explains: “Alzheimer’s Research UK is a charity very close to my heart, having seen my grandmother (Booba), suffer from this cruel disease. Booba was an inspiration to everyone who knew her and prior to the disease was always the life and soul of our family.
“Watching the disease grow inside her was sad to see and I hope with the money raised it will help to pay towards important research for this disease.”
Having already taken part in around 15 challenges, with another one planned before the end of the year, David, along with his wife Candice and two sons, Aaron and Matthew, have competed in amongst others, four obstacle course races, including Tough Mudder, as well as around 5k and 10K runs.
Close to his grandmother, Rita Eisen, who passed away last August, aged 93, David says: “Booba was such a character and she was always the life and soul of any party. Watching someone you love suffering from dementia is heart-breaking, and it was difficult for our family to see the change in her. For most of her life she was always so active, outgoing and fun, and her family were everything to her.”
Covering around 100km through his various challenges over the course of the year, Kenneth Foreman, sporting events manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We can’t thank him and his family enough for taking on this enormous challenge. We couldn’t do the work we do without supporters like David and we wish him the best of luck”.
You can sponsor David by visiting his justgiving page
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