Ten years on

Ten years ago on a very cold, wet and windy night in February 2002 I went to do a track session at Stanley Park in Blackpool. I'd been told about a young girl called Shelly Woods and that she was determined to get to the top in wheelchair racing so I went to see for myself.

I ran like a three legged donkey that night and not a lot has changed since!
Shelly just kept pushing out 400m intervals and never let up.

Her brother watched from the perimeter fence so that after the session he pedalled his bike behind Shelly as she pushed herself home in the dark and the wet. They must have been frozen.

That was it, I took no more persuading to run the London Marathon in 2002 to raise Shelly some money to help her with her training. How could I turn down the long shock of blond hair and a smile that could power the National Grid? The hair is a bit shorter these days but the smile could still power the Nation!

Three of us ran that year and we handed over sizeable cheque afterwards and every penny went towards making progress.

In the intervening ten years I have had the privilege of getting to know Shelly well. Gone are the days of training in front of a mirror to analyse her style and turning up the heating to simulate warmer climates.

First and foremost Shelly is a supreme athlete but she is also very down to earth and it is an honour to know her.

We have joked that if (when) she recieves the freedom of Blackpool I will help her drive sheep down Church Street. When Shelly asked why we would want to do that I simply replied "Because you can!" She believes I am daft enough to do it and she is right :)

When the telly broke at work 4 years ago I dashed round to her Mum's house and watched Shelly race with her Mum and Grandma. Damn! There was a crash and it had to be re-run.

I have been at the finish line of the Great North Run twice when Shelly has won and have twice been described as her loudest fan. I've certainly left people in no doubt the wheelchairs are in town.

I was gobsmacked at last year's Great North Run when Shelly invited me to her Wedding. That night I saw another of her talents: she's quite a dancer and I suggested she should do Strictly Come Dancing.

I've only seen Shelly once since last September, doing 20mph on the roads near her home. The rest of the time she has been here, there and everywhere training.

After a tough week at the Paralympics 2012 Shelly got the medal she deserved, in the marathon. By the end of the race I had no voice and my nerves were shredded! The tears flowed. Shelly knows what I am like!

I telephoned her after the race and got to her voicemail as her interview was on Channel 4. After the interview (in the photo) I called back. I was OK until I heard her voice, and I was off again. God knows whether she understood my tearful message!

There have been many highlights in this amazing summer of sport and I have been privileged to be part of some of them. But seeing my friend win Silver today tops the lot.

I'm off now with mt tin pf silver paint.................... Yes, I am daft enough to do it :)