Man with MND to tackle half marathon in powerchair
A man who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) is to take part in the Leeds Half Marathon in his powerchair to raise money for research into the condition.
The event takes place alongside the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, which was launched in honour of the rugby league legend who died last June aged 41 after being diagnosed with MND.
Ken Blackburn, from York, said he was looking forward to participating in the race and although his powerchair can reach speeds of up to 8mph (12kmh), he would be taking it at a much steadier pace during the event on Sunday.
"I'm looking forward to entering the stadium at the end and crossing the finish line with my wife, Kay," he said.
Mr Blackburn's wife and son plan to run the event with him after the MND Association - a partner charity for the marathon - helped him apply for a place to participate in his powerchair.
"I'm really looking forward to taking part. As a runner in my previous life, I miss the atmosphere when you take part in an event," he said.
The former banker turned taxi driver was diagnosed with MND in 2020, although he said he had been experiencing symptoms of the condition for nearly a decade before.
He has primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) - a rarer, slower progressing form of the condition - and now uses his all-terrain wheelchair to get around outside.
After supporting his family at previous running events, including the 2023 and 2024 Leeds Half Marathon, Mr Blackburn wanted to be directly involved.
Mr Blackburn said: "I wanted to get the full experience and at the same time support my wife Kay, in a more meaningful way.
"Unfortunately our daughter Jade has had to withdraw due to a knee injury, but she's flying in from Belfast to lend her support."
He said he had joined his wife on a training run to test his chair's battery life, which he estimates can last for about 20 miles (32km).
His plan for the day is to keep his wife company while his son forges ahead, so he will not be going "flat out" and will let Mrs Blackburn set the pace.
The family are raising money for the MND Association and are currently just over halfway to their £1,000 target.
Mr Blackburn also fundraises for the organisation through his photography.
For the past three years he has produced a calendar of his own images, which has helped to raise £2,500.
He described his photography as his way of "giving something back", especially to the charity's York branch support group, which he regularly attends.
"I have always had a passion for landscape and wildlife photography. It also gives me the opportunity to get out in nature, which is essential for good mental health," he said.
Looking ahead to Sunday's event, Mr Blackburn said: "It feels very special to be taking part with my family.
"They have always shown me their love and support, throughout my journey with MND, so it will be great to support them too."
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Road closures planned for Rob Burrow Marathon
'Running first Leeds Marathon without Rob will be hard'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
44 minutes ago
- Medscape
Two UK Cardiology Trials Struggle to Recruit Patients
MANCHESTER — Two ongoing cardiology trials in the UK are facing substantial recruitment challenges, researchers reported at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) Annual Conference 2025. The BRITISH study has enrolled fewer than one-third of its targeted 2504 patients over 2 years. Meanwhile, CRAAFT-HF has recruited just 22 of its 1200-patient goal since launching in December 2024. 'We are running behind schedule,' said Andrew Flett, a consultant cardiologist at University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust and principal investigator for BRITISH. 'We're running at about 50% of where we should be, and we're putting in every effort to try and improve that.' CRAAFT-HF's chief investigator Pier Lambiase, professor of cardiology at University College London, said that the trial's eligibility criteria were 'evolving' and being adjusted to boost recruitment. Entry Criteria Adjustments for CRAAFT-HF CRAAFT-HF is comparing surgical versus medical ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) in people with heart failure and a reduced ejection fraction (EF) of 50%. The trial is still in its vanguard phase, with 14 centres open for an average of 4.5 months. The aim was to have at least 120-215 patients recruited across 10 sites within the first year. Professor Pier Lambiase Despite a large potential pool of patients with heart failure and AF seen in clinics, 'only about 5% are referred for ablation', Lambiase said. To improve recruitment, proposed changes include: Broadening the definition of AF to include paroxysmal and persistent types (up to 3 years' duration), confirmed by ECG, Holter monitoring, or cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Relaxing inclusion thresholds for New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and LVEF thresholds. Removing NT-proBNP and medication optimisation criteria for trial eligibility. 'We've learned very quickly that this is threatening the trial,' Lambiase said. 'It's a lot of work to get the patient recruited, start optimal therapy, repeat the [echocardiogram], make sure they're still in the trial.' He estimated the revised criteria could have added 62 patients – tripling current enrolment. Lambiase remains optimistic, citing remote follow-up protocols and international collaboration plans with centres in Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Spain. Expanding the pool of associate principal investigators to include nurses and pharmacists may also help accelerate recruitment. The BRITISH Study The BRITISH study, active since 2023, is running at 46 of its planned 50 UK sites and actively recruiting. Ongoing since 2023, 46 out of the planned 50 sites are actively recruiting patients into the BRITISH study. It aims to determine whether scarring detected via cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is associated with reduced mortality in patients with nonischaemic cardiomyopathy and severe systolic heart failure (LVEF ≤35%) who receive implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). Andrew Flett Flett reported that of the 390 patients enrolled so far: Half were recruited within one year of diagnosis. Just under 20% were recruited within 6 months. Almost two-thirds had NYHA Class II heart failure. 38% had AF. Flett said this is 'the best-treated heart failure population in a heart failure trial that I'm aware of', noting high rates of evidence-based therapy: 93% on beta-blockers. 97% on antihypertensives. 92% on sodium-glucose cotransport 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. 88% on mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. The median age is 66 years. Most participants are White (93%) and male (80%). Addressing Gender Disparities in Trial Recruitment The under-representation of women — just 20% of the current cohort — is 'a major source of concern', Flett told Medscape News UK . The BCS and the British Heart Foundation Clinical Research Collaborative have previously highlighted the need to include more women in clinical trials. A consensus paper in the journal Heart , published at the start of the BCS annual conference, outlined strategies to improve female participation. However, Flett noted that nonischaemic cardiomyopathy is more common in men. 'We're going to recruit the patients that are there, and most of them are men,' he said. If we had 'the luxury of plenty of patients, we could obviously hold back on male recruitment', he added. Efforts are also underway to increase the number of female principal investigators (PIs). Currently, just 6 of the 46 site PIs are women. Recruitment could take another 2-3 years at the current pace. Plans are being considered to open additional sites in Australia and to remind UK centres of the importance of balanced gender recruitment. The BRITISH and CRAAFT-HF studies are funded by the British Heart Foundation. Flett and Lambiase had no conflicts of interest to disclose.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Tottenham contact Brentford over Thomas Frank, hoping for agreement in next 48 hours
Tottenham Hotspur have made contact with Brentford as they seek to appoint Thomas Frank as head coach — and the north London side hope to reach an agreement in the next 48 hours. Frank, 51, quickly emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Ange Postecoglou following his exit on Friday and terms with the Dane are in place. Advertisement There is a healthy relationship between the clubs and negotiations will centre on the cost of releasing Frank, plus the backroom staff who will join him, which is expected to be in the region of £10million ($13.5m, €11.8m). Tottenham announced that Postecoglou had been sacked despite the 59-year-old winning the Europa League title and ending the club's 17-year wait for a major trophy. Postecoglou's future had been in doubt for months, following a Premier League season in which Spurs lost 22 of their 38 games and finished 17th, their worst league finish since 1976-77. 'When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, my overriding emotion is one of pride,' Postecoglou said in a statement published by his representatives following Friday's news of his departure. 'The opportunity to lead one of England's historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget.' Frank took over with Brentford in the Championship in 2018 and got them promoted to the Premier League in 2021. Since then, Brentford have become an established top-flight side, finishing 13th, ninth, 16th and now 10th this season. Postecoglou was warmly received by the Spurs fans at their Europa League trophy parade and during their final Premier League game, the 4-1 home defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion. He admitted after the game that he was still in the dark about his long-term future, despite the historic triumph in Bilbao. The Australian was appointed as Tottenham head coach in June 2023, signing a three-year deal with a fourth as an option. In his first season, Spurs finished fifth in the league, but this season they were disrupted by a severe injury crisis during which they lost almost the entire first team. Postecoglou then prioritised the Europa League as Spurs' only way to win a trophy, eliminating AZ Alkmaar, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt in the knock-out rounds before beating Manchester United 1-0 in the final. Analysis by Jay Harris Frank joined Brentford as an assistant coach in December 2016 and the long-term plan was for him to replace Dean Smith, which happened two years later when the latter moved to Aston Villa. Frank lost eight of his first 10 games in charge but managed to stabilise the side and they finished 11th in the Championship in 2018-19. Advertisement Brentford reached the Championship play-off final in Frank's first full season but they lost 2-1 to Fulham after extra time. They returned to Wembley the following year and beat Swansea City 2-0 to earn promotion to the Premier League. Many observers expected Brentford to get relegated but they memorably beat Arsenal on the opening day of the 2021-22 season and finished 13th. Frank's coaching helped his young squad, including Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and David Raya, to excel at a higher level while he convinced Christian Eriksen to join them on a short-term contract. Brentford's second season in the top-flight under Frank was phenomenal. They thrashed Manchester United 4-0 at home and were the only side to beat then champions Manchester City twice. Toney scored 20 goals in 33 appearances and became Brentford's first England international since Les Smith in 1939. Brentford's third year in the Premier League was disrupted by injuries but they bounced back stronger this season. They finished 10th had three players reach double figures for goals (Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade). Frank's impact at Brentford has been huge and he will probably have a statue outside their stadium in the future. He has a fantastic connection with the fanbase, the players love him and he has a great relationship with the owner Matthew Benham, director of football Phil Giles and technical director Lee Dykes. Replacing Frank will be a difficult challenge for Brentford. Tottenham's transfer policy has changed since Johan Lange became their sporting director in November 2023 and now they mainly focus on signing players under the age of 23, including Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert. Frank has an excellent track record of developing talent, including Ollie Watkins, Toney and Mbeumo, which can be traced back to his time in charge of Denmark's youth sides, so he could be a great fit for this young Spurs squad. Advertisement Lange and Frank have previously worked together at Danish side Lygnby which would help. When Lange was Aston Villa's sporting director, he considered hiring Frank to replace Steven Gerrard before Unai Emery was appointed. Frank prefers to use a 4-3-3 formation but is more flexible than Postecoglou. During Brentford's first two seasons in the Premier League, he regularly used a 3-5-2 formation against better-quality opposition and used long balls and set-pieces to good effect. Brentford have evolved and now mainly play out from the back and press opponents high up the pitch. A switch to a 4-2-3-1 system in 2024-25 to extract the best out of attacking midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard highlights how he is more than willing to make subtle tweaks to his principles for the benefit of the team. One of the biggest challenges for Frank would be adjusting to European competition. He reached the preliminary rounds of the Europa League with Brondby but not the main stage of the competition, so it would be a steep learning curve jumping straight into the Champions League.
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
How could Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo fit into Ruben Amorim's system?
It's already been a busy summer for Manchester United. After completing the £62.5million ($83.7m) signing of Wolves' Matheus Cunha, the club are now in talks with Brentford over Bryan Mbeumo, having had an initial £55m bid rejected. If United manage to bring the 25-year-old Cameroonian to Old Trafford, the acquisitions of him and Cunha would signal a clear intention to bounce back from a dismal campaign that saw them finish 15th in the Premier League — their lowest top-flight finish since 1974, when they were relegated from the old First Division. Advertisement On the latest episode of The Athletic FC Podcast, Adam Leventhal was joined by Carl Anka and Conor O'Neill to break down how Cunha and Mbeumo could fit into Ruben Amorim's system. A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available below or in 'The Athletic FC Podcast' feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Adam: Carl, I saw you on another podcast this week with a little tactics board out. I'm not necessarily expecting you to fold one out of your top pocket right now and do the same, but can you explain exactly how Cunha and Mbeumo are going to fit into Ruben Amorim's system? There may well be more signings, obviously, but are these the right jigsaw pieces for Amorim's 3-4-3 that everyone's been banging on about? Carl: Well, it seems like Cunha is going to go straight into the left No 10 position. (Alejandro) Garnacho, (Marcus) Rashford and sometimes Joshua Zirkzee have been used in that position, but they don't necessarily have the trickery when carrying the ball that Cunha had throughout all of last season. He can carry the ball over long distances, which is something Amorim likes from his left-sided No 10. Cunha's also fond of shooting from outside the box, and there was a point where Man United had a lot of players who were good at shooting from outside the box, but that then dropped off. So that's what Cunha is going to bring. I think it's really important to say here that the Mbeumo conversation is right at the start, and we're nowhere near white smoke at this point. These are just the opening talks and there appears to be some low-balling in terms of offers; there's also a lot of talk about contracts here. But if Mbeumo arrives, his best position will be as the right-sided No 10. I asked Amorim after United got past Athletic Club in the Europa League what sort of characteristics he wanted to strengthen. He specifically mentioned the right-sided No 10, and he specifically said: 'For a right-sided No 10, it's important you have a left foot,' and Mbeumo is naturally left-footed. Amorim also said: 'It's really useful if you can go inside and you can go outside.' But the interesting wrinkle here is that one of your options for your right-sided No 10 already is Amad, who is left-footed as well, so maybe Amorim is looking to go double-lefty on that side of the field. We shall see. Advertisement Also if you're getting Cunha and Mbeumo, that means Bruno Fernandes will move from one of the No 10 positions into central midfield, which then will have a knock-on effect on the other central midfielder who's playing next to Bruno Fernandes, which will also have a knock on effect on your wingbacks and so on. United don't have the unlimited money glitch (to improve all those areas), so they're going to have to get really creative to improve this transfer window. Adam: Conor, from your point of view, do you think Cunha and Mbeumo are going to potentially have to change the way in which they play after being a big fish in smaller ponds? Because with Mbeumo's career, if you look at it over the last couple of years in particular, he was playing the best supporting actor role to Ivan Toney year after year, and people were thinking, 'When they lose Toney, is he going to be able to step up?' But he more than achieved that. So they're going to probably want to come in and go, 'I can be the main guy again.' But are they going to have to adapt their approaches a little bit? Conor: Yeah, I think they will to a degree because there is only one ball and they can't all be the guy to create and end moves, so there is going to be a little scale back of that. But I don't think that's necessarily a problem for a team as creatively bereft as United in the first place. I think it is more about growing the chance creation pie rather than how it's divided. Bruno Fernandes contributes a huge amount of United's chance creation, but that's because they create so little. That's a similar story to a degree with Cunha at Wolves. So I think adding those two players is only going to make them better overall and will probably reduce each individual's proportional impact. A similar example would be Jack Grealish at Manchester City. He was the main man and the talisman at Aston Villa, but when he went to City, that wasn't the case. When you actually look at his underlying numbers, they didn't actually change that much. The difference was that he wasn't the only contributor anymore; he was in a team with lots of good creative assets. Advertisement I think that's the direction United want to head towards: rather than worrying about who specifically is creating the chances, it's more important that they are being created. You can listen to full episodes of The Athletic FC Podcast for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and watch on YouTube. (Top Photo: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
