My name is Rob Smith and I’m a software developer and consultant born and living in the North East of England. In 2020, at age 48, I contracted a yet unknown neurological condition which cost me most of the mobility of my legs. I therefore spend much of my time in a wheelchair.

A year later, I decided to train for a half marathon and to raise some money for nia, a charity supporting women and girls who are victims of male domestic and sexual violence, including prostitution.

In 2022 I did three wheelchair half marathons (Sheffield, Leeds and The Great North Run). I’m planning more ion 2023.

This is the chair I used for those events, just a regular day chair.

I have one of these:

but I’m still a bit too terrified to use it in a crowd. The steering and brakes on those things are not what you might expect. I’d be mowing people down left, right and centre. One of my goals for 2023 is to bite that bullet and see how much carnage I can cause with it.

For more about my origin story, go here and to find out more about why I raise money for nia in particular, see here and here.

Most importantly of all, you can donate to my crowdfunder here or directly to nia

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