Hassocks man runs marathon for wife’s rehab facility

A Hassocks father ran the Virtual London Marathon to raise funds for his wife’s rehabilitation team.

Gavin O’Mally-Richardson, 49, ran 26.2 miles in 1-mile loops near his home on Sunday using his front door as the start and finish ‘arch’.

Gavin is raising vital funds for Neurokinex, a specialist spinal cord rehabilitation facility near Gatwick, after his wife Sarah started therapy with them.

Sarah, 40, sustained a life-changing spinal cord injury in December 2019 after spinal surgery went wrong, leaving her with nerve damage that paralysed her left leg, confining her to a wheelchair.

Although Gavin is a fitness trainer and is therefore no stranger to running, he admitted that running the marathon distance in continuous loops was next level for him.

Speaking before the run, he said: “I haven’t had a chance to train a huge amount as I’m having to fit runs around my work, looking after our two sons aged 10 and 14 and supporting Sarah.

“It’s fair to say, running 26.2 miles in one go will be a challenge.

“Sarah has been a huge support and even joined me on a few training runs by attaching a special electric wheel to her wheelchair.”

Speaking about how the rehab facility had helped his wife, Gavin said: “Neurokinex was invaluable to Sarah at a time when we had nowhere else to turn to for expert help.

“She made such good progress and we know how fortunate we were to have the support of friends and funds.

“Now it’s our turn to give back to Neurokinex and the money I raise will help fund free sessions for other people needing their life-changing rehab services.”

To support Gavin, search ‘Gavin O’Mally-Richardson is fundraising for Neurokinex Charitable Trust’ on https://justgiving.com