I was lucky enough to meet Dale and his family earlier this year and they told me that Virtual Runner has become an important part of Dale’s recovery since having a life-changing stroke 12 months ago. Dales tells us this in his own very inspiring words:
Last year on 5th December 2016 I found myself in hospital after suffering from a full stroke. This came as a huge shock to all of the family, including myself. A year on and I am doing really well. I have managed to almost fully recover from the affects. Unfortunately it has left me with only partial sight in my right eye and I still have aches and pains in my left arm and hand, but other than that I feel really fit and healthy and glad to still be here with my family and friends as it could have been a different story this Christmas.
Since having the stroke I decided to take up some walking/running activities and Virtual Runner were a massive part of my recovery.
I heard about Virtual Runner through my wife taking part in a couple of events during the year herself. I decided to join a couple of the easier challenges at first to have a goal and help with my recovery.
Since joining I have earned 31 medals doing various distances such as 5k, 10k, any distance etc. My biggest challenge that I decided to take on was the 2017 complete 500 miles in a year, obviously this seemed crazy given that I have never been a runner or walker and I was still recovering through the year from my stroke, but I’ve done it and now have the medal to prove it.
I am hoping that this story could inspire others to do a similar thing and also to help out the charities that Virtual Runner support.