Daphne Hathaway

Our friend and neighbour Daphne is a runner but also a carer (for her progressively deteriorating husband who has Alzheimer`s and until recently her 100 year old Dad, who also had Alzheimer`s). No mean achievement when you`re 75 but Daphne also has cancer. Her running has been her solace and her salvation and has given her a focus for her life. She has always run FAST - achieving good for age times but since her diagnosis of bone marrow cancer she has had to change her goals. She`s always run for charity, mostly for research into Alzheimer`s but also for cancer research, the Salvation Army and Action Aid. In April this year, determination and grit saw her complete the London Marathon. She had to walk the course for fear of fracturing bones and in doing so achieved much more than many of her healthy contemporaries. She is an inspiration to so many people, far and wide. It`s not just her stoicism, her determination or her cheerfulness that make her such a remarkable lady, it`s her unwillingness to let the tough circumstances she has had to deal with overwhelm her. Many would have buckled under the strain. Daphne is an amazing runner and an amazing person, I believe she would be an outstanding torch bearer of the Olympic flame.