The Drover's 10k was a success.... We raised £1151 for TeamEvsy
1st Male Daniel Bodman (Aberdare AC) 38.08
2nd Male Jason Scanlon 39.16
3rd Male Stephen Bartlett (Ponty Roadents AC) 39.57
1st Female Georgina Dando (Bridgend AC) 46.06
2nd Female Georgina Dando (Bridgend AC) 51.29
3rd Female Vanessa Turnbull (Caerphilly Runners) 51.32
A massive thank you to McArthur Glenn for donating 2 £20 vouchers for the 1st prizes. Spar donated a £40 voucher towards the 2nd & 3rd prizes and donated £20 to the charity. Sainsbury's kindly donated £15 towards the carrier bags and the remaining £10 was given to the last female over the line Hayley Pugh (Ponty Rodents AC) and a £15 Wagama voucher was also given to the last male runner Andy Davies also of Ponty Roadents.
A very well stocked cake stall made over £200.
This multi terrain course will start with a stiff climb through country lanes heading north out of Brynna. At the crest of the ridge is where the race route switches from lanes to open fell, onto Mynydd Y Gaer and it's parade of windmills. Here the undulating course will take you south off the ridge and back down towards Brynna, it becomes a stoney farm track before heading back onto the lanes where you will only have a mile or so until the finish.
Click on the link below for results.
https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=73639
Here's the story behind the charity:
Last year this policeman was an Ironman - now he is battling a terminal brain tumour
The super-fit dad was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour
This time last year, Mike Evans was a supremely fit police officer who completed Ironman challenges for fun.
Now the dad-of-two has just completed a bout of intensive daily chemotherapy at Velindre after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, which means he could have just months to live.
But he isn’t accepting defeat.
The 49-year-old has a list of things he wants to achieve, including speeding up the time patients wait for an MRI scan and raising enough money to repay the NHS for his treatment.
His friends and family are fully behind the fight and through their #teamevsy challenges are raising thousands for Velindre.
Mike is a former Pencoed RFC player. Since hanging up his boots in 1999. He has completed 10 Ironman challenges and completed numerous half Ironman events too.
'I was fit, healthy and strong'
“I have loved sport all my life,” he said. It was a year ago he was in Majorca competing. “It just shows how much can change in a year. Then, I was fit, healthy and strong,” he said.
His symptoms first surfaced in July last year, just after a night out to celebrate daughter Lily’s graduation. The day after, he felt ill but given a few others in the group thought they had food poisoning he put it down to that. He worked in police headquarters in Bridgend and as he got up to make his way to the toilet, fearing he was going to be sick.
But he blacked out, fell and hit his head.
Mike was taken to A&E where he had a chronic seizure. He was given medication but cleared to complete Ironman Wales.
“Being a man, I kind of put up with it and you kind of think it’s inconsequential pain.
Doing Ironman means you’re generally in pain all the time so I thought it was normal.
“In hindsight, that’s not a good thing.”
'It could have killed me'
As his illness developed, he was given epilepsy drugs and while he had a CT scan, which was clear, and a more detailed MRI isn’t standard at this point.
By February, his conditions worsened and he wasn’t able to get out of bed. He was seen in A&E but discharged with anxiety and sickness. At the same time, his beloved mother had passed away but he was too ill to attend the funeral.
An MRI scan finally revealed the tumour and the terrifying news it was wrapped around a major blood vessel.
“The pressure was building so fast and hard that it was about to blow. That would have killed me immediately.”
Staff rushed the scan to a consultant who immediately told the family to rush him to hospital. “The consultant was there waiting when we arrived and was superb,” said Mike. Surgery had to wait until steroids had reduced the swelling.
“They managed to get about 75% of the large golf ball sized tumour out. They couldn’t go any deeper because of the risk to me but they gave me the best chance they can.”
He was in intensive care for three days and was home within days. “Before the surgery,I had problems speaking, remembering words. The surgery has helped but it’s a balancing act.”
Mike has now been told his tumour was Grade 4 and terminal.
'I could be dead in six months'
The longest anyone has survived with this type or tumour is six years.
“It’s the most aggressive tumour you can have. I could be dead in six months or with treatment it could be two years,” he said.
Mike, from Bridgend, has just finished a spell of daily treatment at Velindre, but after a short rest, there is six more months to face.
He has tried to continue as normal for wife Louise, daughter Lily, 21, and Sol, 17. When Lily said she was going to cancel her travelling adventure, he made her promise to continue. In return she began secretly fundraising.
Lily organised a medium night and it grew from there and now almost £8,000 has been raised. They now hope to raise the amount his treatment has cost.
They have had wristbands made and sold over 1,000, Welsh rugby internationals have worn them. Friends contacted champion boxer Joe Calzaghe who arrived at Mike’s house as a total surprise. They are also completing “Rocky ball” challenges based on the boxing film.
Mike’s asked all his friends to carry a squash ball – as Sylvester Stallone’s character does - and when they meet another mutual friend, they have to challenge them to show it. If they don’t, there’s a £5 fine.
As well as reducing the waiting time for MRIs, he wants to get people talking. He is updating family and friends via “Chemo Kid” blogs online.
'We don't like talking about our health'
“Different people react in different ways. Not everybody is going to be ‘woe be me’. I’m not trying to bullish or full of bravado but that’s just me and my family.
“That’s the way we are.”
Every penny that’s being raised is going to a Velindre Welsh Brain Tumour Research fund.
“Before I die, I will ensure there’s a quicker turnaround on MRIs because that’s what we need."
An MRI would give somebody a quicker chance of finding out what’s in their head and being able to identify it. He also wants to raise awareness.
“Middle aged men as we are, don’t want to talk about their health, and what’s going on.”
He can’t thank his supporters enough, from Pencoed RFC, Crossfit 31 and his police colleagues have all been huge support.
He’s had videos of support from Welsh rugby players and triathletes, which he says have helped him through the bad days.
“It has just blown me away.”
If you want to make a donation please click on the link below:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamevsy