A DALE youngster who suffers from cerebral palsy has completed his first Junior Great North Run in a personal best for the distance and raised cash for charity at the same time.
Ethan Fletcher, from Mickleton, completed the run in 24 minutes and 30 seconds and raised £1,135 for Heel and Toe, which offers support to children with disabilities.
The young athlete benefitted from sessions hosted by the charity in Chester-le-Street after he was diagnosed with hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which affects one side of the body.
Ahead of the run Ethan trained on his own in and around his home village.
His mum, Debbie, said: “When he first started training he was doing it in about 45 minutes. The fastest runners completed it in about 14 minutes but with Ethan’s cerebral palsy he did really well.”
The ten-year-old also beat his personal best for the distance by more than four minutes.
He is no stranger to charity fundraising – aged eight, in 2016, he raised £435 for Heel and Toe by taking part in the Children’s Disability Triathlon in Newcastle.
During that event he cycled 2km, swam 150m and ran 900m.
Then in May this year he hosted a coffee morning in Mickleton which raised more than £600 for the Channel Four Stand Up To Cancer appeal.
Of his latest achievement, Ethan said: “It was a great experience. I trained for a long time in all sorts of Teesdale weather.
“The atmosphere was motivating and when I crossed the swing bridge I’d never seen so many people on a bridge.
“It felt incredible that months of training led up to that moment when I crossed the finish line.
“Thinking about the children that my £1,135 would help kept me going.
“Everyone has been very generous and when I hit my target of £1,000 I was so amazed. Thank you everyone.”
