Richard's fundraising story
“I've been working in MND research for a long time. And I feel like we are on the cusp of more breakthroughs.”
Meet Dr Richard Mead, a Senior Lecturer in Translational Neuroscience at SITraN, who is taking on the 2023 Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon this May.
Not only is Richard running the Leeds Marathon to raise money for Motor Neurone Disease, but his research also focuses on finding new treatments for MND.
Read his story here:
What motivated you to join the University of Sheffield team at the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon?
I think Rob Burrow’s attitude and campaigning for MND is inspirational. Seeing the lengths his friends and others have gone to fund raise is amazing and would like to contribute to that effort.
What does fundraising for MND research at the University of Sheffield mean to you?
I have been working in MND research for a long time and great progress has been made in recent years especially and I feel like we are on the cusp of more breakthroughs. We are working on a drug at Sheffield that has taken a long time and effort to get to the stage where it should be ready for testing in clinical trials in a year or so. I have received a lot of support from people raising money for MND research and so thought I should try and do my bit.
How do you feel about taking on this challenge?
I'm quite excited, I run a lot but mainly off-road and I have never done a marathon which is very different from running in the hills, so not sure if my legs will appreciate the pavement pounding! I'm also doing the event with students and researchers from my team in SITraN so I'm looking forward to seeing how we all rise to the challenge!
Do you have any advice for those who might be considering taking on a similar challenge for MND?
Yes I think it's always good to challenge yourself in the name of a great cause and there are non-better than trying to improve the lives of people with MND
Good luck, Richard. We’re behind you every step of the way!