When Carl Dudley was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 9, he partially lost his sight and struggled with his weight, but now 22 years on he's tackling The London 10 Mile, which takes place in Richmond Park.

In 2015 Carl tipped the scales at 30 stone as a result of ill health stemming from his childhood brain tumour. But now, weighing a spritely 23 stones, the 31-year-old Wimbledon resident is limbering up for the inaugural 10 mile event

Carl’s love affair for running originates from his childhood in Staffordshire, and running with his father, who has completed over 20 marathons himself. ‘I used to enjoy taking part in running events, especially with my Dad’, said Carl, who moved to Wimbledon in 2015. He then added, ‘Unfortunately, I suffered from a brain tumour when I was 9, which meant that I had to have several operations and I lost the sight in my right eye.’

Despite the loss of some of his vision, Carl started running again, initially to try to help raise money for the Royal Stoke Hospital, where he was treated. Unfortunately, the operation and subsequent treatment meant damage to the area of the brain that controls the body’s fluid intake and diet, and his health soon started to deteriorate.

This came to a head in 2015, when while in his most unfit state, Carl had an epiphany. ‘I went for a walk one evening in the summer and after about an hour I realised I had walked about one and a half miles and I didn’t know how I was going to get back. The inner competitor in me then kicked in, and I wanted to walk back, just to say I had done it. I enjoyed the feeling that I had achieved something, so in the following days I asked my Dad if
we could go for a run. We started doing short 2.5km plods, and I could hardly run, but built the distance from there. I started to look after my diet a bit more and soon I was entering events again!’

His love for running led him to join Wimbledon Windmilers, and he also regularly writes a running blog, (http://www.bigcarlrunning.com/). Carl admits he is never going to win any races, but says: ‘The achievement is the finish line not the finish time – plus I get a bit more out of my entry fee if I take longer!’

And he credited running for giving him a new outlook on life in general. ‘Being part of a club has introduced me to some people that I never would have spent time with in the past. And even when I am not running, I am much more social than I used to be and really enjoy going out with my friends more often.’

The London 10 Mile will give Carl, and those taking part, the chance to see the Richmond Park in a unique way. ‘I spend a lot of time in the park, either running or cycling, but the chance to run around it on completely closed roads, without any traffic, will be amazing. The park is stunning and with most races being over 5 or 10 km, the chance to run 10 miles, so close to home, really pulled me in.’

Article supplied by Phil Lowe