A Dazzle of Leaping Zebras are raising money for The Mintridge Foundation, Pnh Support and THE APLAS

This made her family and friends smile because to say that she was obsessed with the animal when she was younger would be an understatement… Anyway, we digress…

As a group of friends, we wanted to raise awareness and funds for the two charities that have supported Alex as she learns to navigate the complexities of living with a rare condition. Already, she has benefited from the welfare support from the fantastic teams. Alex would love for more funding to go towards research in the hope that when others hear their diagnosis in the future, they might feel less isolated with the complexities of the condition.

Furthermore, as the Founder of the Mintridge Foundation, Alex is keen to showcase how sport has helped her through this difficult year and in turn, we hope, help others to realise the transformative power that it can have for all. The Trustees, Staff and Ambassadors at the Foundation have given Alex the utmost support this year and this is a little way for Alex to give back...

29th February marked a leap year and so here was our day

Dressed as zebras (for the reasons mentioned above), our team (or dazzle to use the correct collective term for zebras) will run from Alex's home to the Montagu Arms to start a Half Marathon:

The Montagu Arms, Barnwell (A significant place of interest for anyone that knows Alex's family...). It is here that Alex has found a friendly face and a little normality spending time with her family here through a turbulent 2023.

From the Monty, the Dazzle ran through Polebrook before a Welcoming Committee at Rectory Farm Kitchen. Again, here is an important stop off as Alex and her husband have used this wonderful place as a stop off on her journeys home from hospital. The carrot cake has given Pete and Alex the lift that they so often needed on these journeys...

There is no rest for the wicked though as the Dazzle made their way to Elton Furze Golf Club (where Alex has rediscovered her love for the sport after reading about Jess Ratcliffe, a fellow PNH sufferer who took up golf following diagnosis).

From Elton Furze, the final 2.6 miles of the Half Marathon took the group to the Marriott Hotel on the outskirts of Peterborough.

We had to do something a little different to mark the leap year though didn't we? Upon the completion of the Half Marathon (13.1 miles), 1.6 miles was completed by leapfrogging to Ferry Meadows Café because...well, why not?

Why Ferry Meadows? The Ferry Meadows Park Run helped Alex re-emerge from a rather confuzzling few months of hospital appointments and diagnosis. Here, she redefined what running now meant for her, and while her symptoms might not allow her to push for the front runners at the moment, it has given her time and space and in the words of Jackie Scully, "to run her own race".

They then took on the Park Run route at 14:00.

Thank you for taking the time to read our page and we hope that you are able to support in any way that you can.

Lots of Love, These Dazzling Zebras supporting the one in a million PNH patients across the UK xx

The Aplastic Anaemia Trust - A charity that brings failed bone marrow back to life! The Aplastic Anaemia Trust is the only charity in the UK focused on aplastic anaemia. We fund research to improve treatment, provide expert information, and work tirelessly, at grassroots level, to support every aplastic anaemia patient and their loved ones.

PNH Support - A charity that provides support through educational resources and advocacy, as well as peer-to-peer contact so that no PNH patient in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is alone. All are represented and enabled to live to their full potential with PNH.

The Mintridge Foundation - A registered charity that wants every young person to have a positive relationship with sport achieved by harnessing the unique platform of sporting role models far beyond their medals.

A Dazzle of Leaping Zebras are fundraising for The Mintridge Foundation, Pnh Support and THE APLASTIC ANAEMIA TRUST | Give as you Live Donate