Guest article by Nick Ashill.
I am honored to give SERVSIG an update of my run across America to raise awareness of Pulmonary Fibrosis. Sadly, the run did not happen in 2020 due to Covid-19 but a date has been set for the end of May 2022.
My flight is booked and my support crew are in place! The last four years have been a rollercoaster of emotions but sixteen surgeries later I am back running. So many people have helped to get me back on my feet – my family, surgeons, physiotherapists and personal trainers. In September 2021, I ran my longest race in 5 years, a 157km run in 19 hours and 15 minutes.
On 30 May 2022 I will start my run from the exact spot I was hit on 2 August 2017. I have 3 US states to run – Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey before reaching New York. The 1000km should take me about 18-20 days. The three surgeons who put me back together in 2017 will be joining me for a few kms at the start. It is going to be an emotional reunion.
I could never imagine something like this ever happening. But I am grateful for a second chance. My family and close friends continually remind me of how far I have come, not how many kilometres I have left to run.
Raising awareness of pulmonary fibrosis has always been the primary goal of the run and this has not changed. I feel privilged to be working closely with the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust in the United Kingdom and the New Zealand Asthma and Respiratory Foundation. Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive debilitating lung disease with high morbidity. There is no cure. If you are able to donate to either charity, I would so grateful for your support.
My training is going very well and I currently averaging around 150km/week. Definitely slower than 2017 but running these distances was unthinkable 3 years ago. I am excited about reconnecting with so many people in America who have supported me over the past 5 years – doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, emergency medical responders, state troopers, and the local community in the city of Columbus, Ohio.
You can follow my progress on Facebook and Instagram.
Nicholas J. Ashill,
Professor of Marketing,
School of Marketing and International Business, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
