Sharon Grainger, a Neurology Nurse Specialist at the Royal United Hospital, will be among the first to run in the Olympic Stadium, after winning a competition to take part in the National Lottery Olympic Park Run later this month.
The five-mile race takes place on 31 March, when some 5,000 people will run around the Olympic Village and into the stadium where some of our top athletes will compete for medals this summer.
Sharon’s husband Neal nominated her to take part in the run after reading about a competition in the Bristol Evening Post which offered five readers the chance to take part in the National Lottery Olympic Run. Neil’s entry suggested that Sharon would be very deserving of a place as she is running the London Marathon to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Trust, and that it would be ‘a runners dream come true’.
Sharon was stunned to win a place, after only taking up running two years ago. She said: “I am really looking forward to the run and it will be a nice warm up before the marathon in April.
“Over the last ten years, I’ve met many people living with MS, not just through my work as a nurse specialist, but personally as well. Every one of those individuals has their own unique story, and it’s been a privilege to be a part of their journey.
“I am also enormously grateful to the MS Trust for their support to me professionally in terms of developing my own knowledge, and allowing me to give the best possible support to people living with MS that I can.
“Whilst I have some trepidation at the journey ahead, I am also hugely grateful to have the opportunity to give back to a charity that gives so much.“
