Edward met wife Ivy when the pair were teenagers in their native South Africa, and they had a short-lived romance before going their separate ways.
Two marriages and several years later, the pair reunited and moved to the UK before, sadly, Ivy died of cancer.
Edward has run for us in the past in memory of Ivy and his friends and family who have all died from life-limiting illnesses.
Ivy was the love of my life
“Ivy was the love of my life. We were childhood sweethearts but went our separate ways and a few years later, I met and married my first wife Jean.
“Things didn’t quite work out with Jean and I and, after divorcing, I started running competitively. I would take part in ultra-marathons. When I was running in Ivy's home city of Cape Town, I thought that it would be nice to make contact again.
“The timing wasn’t quite right but, a few months after that competition in Cape Town, she called me. We agreed to meet up and it was like we had never been apart.”
The pair married in South Africa and, 11 years ago, moved to the UK.
“Sadly, not long after we moved to the UK, Ivy was diagnosed with cancer and passed away,” said Edward.
“I run every day so I’m still very fit. I did the Derby 10k in 1hr 26mins last year but I’m hoping to get under 1hr 20 this time.”
We’re thrilled that Edward is running the Derby 10k in Team Treetops and we’d love to hear from others who’d like to take part in any of our other running events or challenges.
Adela Appleby, Head of Community Relationships
Fundraising for us makes a big difference. Every step you take means you are helping a local person at the very end of life to remain in the comfort of their home with their family around them, cared for by one of our nurses.
All Team Treetops runners pay a discounted entry fee for their chosen event. Participants receive a Treetops running tech-shirt and 10% discount card for Derby Runner. Participants are asked to raise sponsorship money to help pay for one or more nights of Hospice at Home nursing care.