I do because I can
I do because I can,
Those who can't would,
If everyone who can did,
Then those who can't could.
I believe in fate, and that we are all here for a purpose and a reason to do the things we do.
Why do I raise funds and awareness for the MS Trust? Well I believe that I was mapped out to do just that.
In 1990 I met my wife Sandra and at the same time my sister Kathleen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I had never heard of or didn't know what this disease was except that when my parents told me they were very upset so I knew it must be bad.
Kenny Smith
At this time in my life, to me, doing anything for charity was something that somebody else does. I used to joke that I had just done the marathon. As a person who had suffered from asthma all my life, smoked 20 fags a day and was never a runner this was a joke!
From the beginning I got on very well with my father-in-law and in the summer of 1991 he asked me if I fancied taking part in the Royal Military Police (RMP) March, a 25 mile march from Chichester through woods, hills, fields and roads. I thought well yes I suppose so, should be a laugh, and the fact that we had beer and fags on the way round appealed to me!
This was also the first time that I was involved in any challenge and any fundraising. We were raising money for a local charity, The Cherries. I think I raised about £50. The march was very hard and for someone that smoked, drank and didn't do any training it was nice getting over the finish line and to receive a medal. Then we paraded through the spectator filled streets of Chichester. I felt like a hero, people all around clapping and cheering, that was it, I loved this feeling.
I did the RMP March again in 1992 and 1993, raising money for diabetes and asthma, again with no training and knowing that I was going to be really hurting for the next couple of days. People used to say that I was mad, why put yourself through it? Well I used to say, it's only for a few days of hurt and we are raising money for good causes.
The RMP March ended in 1993 and went on to become the City of Chichester Challenge which was a 40k march on the same route. I raised money for various local charities, diabetes, asthma and the MS Society. I raised quite a bit in 2001, so much so that someone said that I should do the London Marathon. Yeah right!! I took part in the city challenge 6 times until 2005 where I actually finished 4th over all!
In the autumn of 2001, I was told that I could do the London Marathon easily and that I could raise loads for charities. At the time, my middle daughter Lauren was suffering badly from asthma and I had just raised some money for Asthma UK, so I decided that I know I can do the distance so I will phone up Asthma UK and ask if I could run for them.
They didn't have any places but they put me on to Rehab UK as they were looking for runners. I got a phone call on 2nd January 2002 saying that they understood that I was up for running and asked if I could raise £1,500 for them. I said yes and that was it! I had 4 months to train and had to stop smoking which I did for just over three years.
On Sunday 14th April 2002 I crossed the line in 6hrs 11mins and 49 seconds! I know it wasn't the fastest time in the world but it's not about time when you're taking part in the greatest marathon on this planet, soaking in the atmosphere, taking in all the famous landmarks and realising your doing something good for charity. I was hurting for days after but I was still buzzing. I was the only person I knew that had done the London Marathon! I was asked if I was going to do it again. No I said, been there, done that.
By this time my sister Kathleen was getting worse and worse with her MS, and I thought, well I raised loads for a charity that really I had no connection with so I thought right I will apply again through the ballot to which I was turned down in 2003 and 2004. However, in the meantime, I was raising money for Asthma UK and the MS Society by taking part in the City of Chichester Challenge.
Then in the autumn of 2004 I was finally accepted. I got in through the ballot system to do the London Marathon! Brilliant, my own place and now I can raise funds for who I really want to help. And so my relationship with the MS Trust was just about to begin.
In January of 2005 I phoned up the MS Trust and said that I would like to raise money for them as I had my own place in the London Marathon. They were very grateful and very helpful. They sent me a load of sponsor forms and on April 17th 2005 I crossed the line of my second London Marathon and raised £2,229.28 for the MS Trust. I was well chuffed, a little bit of hurt for such a great cause.
I took part again in 2006, 2007 and 2008 but as a golden bond runner and raised a further £3,572.69, £3,882.59 and £3,084 for the MS Trust.
That was going to be it, five was the number, my lucky number, so I hung my trainers up, and in 2009 I watched it on the TV but I really wanted to be there. It's hard to explain, the crowds and the whole atmosphere really drives you further and I was sad not to be there.
I missed it that much and I knew I could raise loads of funds for the MS Trust so later that year I phoned up Janet Chesterton at the MS Trust. She was really happy to hear from me. I told her that I wanted to have a golden bond place and that I wanted to raise more money for them. I was accepted and so that was it, in 2010 I was running what I thought was my final marathon!
I was always looking for new ways and easy ways to raise loads of money for the MS Trust. I had done the raffles, the auctions, and sponsor forms so I started collecting scrap metal. This was easy money but I wanted more. I had an idea for sometime in my head that I could organise and run my own event but wasn't sure what, where or when.
So in the summer of 2009, over a few cold beers, I told a few people that I had an idea of an event at the motor circuit at Goodwood; maybe a marathon, a half marathon, a cycle ride or just a family fun day?
I was told that people love riding bikes around Goodwood and that a cycle event would be the best idea, but as a father of three daughters I wanted something that families can take part in; why not two events I said, a cycle or marathon in the morning and a family fun day in the afternoon.
I spoke to my neighbour Alistair who had been a keen cyclist for many years about a cycle event at Goodwood. He said yes straight away. Do it he said and count him in. I thought great, a cycle event in the morning and a family fun day in the afternoon where maybe people could go round in fancy dress etc.
So I got on to the phone to Janet at the MS Trust and we organised a meeting with Jo Sopala a few weeks before Christmas at the motor circuit. We put all the ideas down and we then came up with the name the MS circuit challenge, and so the MSCC was born!
The marathon in 2010 was very hard for me, I was the heaviest I had ever been and I had not completely given up the fags or beer and I didn't train that well as organising my new event had completely taken over my life.
I crossed the start line and I was running too fast, I couldn't slow myself until I got over Tower Bridge, then everything became tighter and tighter and that was it, walk, run, walk, run for the rest of the way. I passed the MS Trust cheering squads and put on a brave face. I then came to the embankment and saw Jo Sopala of the MS Trust. Again I put on a brave face as she gave my sweaty body a very welcomed hug. I left her with a lump in my throat and tears running down behind my sun glasses but I kept telling myself, its only pain, I will get better.
I crossed the finish line, met up with my friends and said if I ever say I'm doing this again punch me straight in the face! But raising £3,922.64 soon bought a smile back on my face and a couple of pints on Westminster Bridge was equally fine. So that was it, I ran round London for the last time, six times in total!
Before that day the 2010 MS Circuit Challenge went ahead on Sunday 20th march. I had loads of volunteers, friends, family, and staff from the MS Trust all there to help out and to make the whole day a success. After three and a half months of constant emailing, writing letters, begging and borrowing, it was here.
A cycle challenge in the morning with three distances 10 laps, 20 laps and 30 laps, and 100 riders, a by any means in the afternoon with loads of families, teams and individuals taking to the track either on stilts, skates, running, walking, pogo sticking and fancy dress. We had stalls, rides, raffles, and we raised around £6,000! That was it; the MS Circuit Challenge was a success! I had to do it again; the feedback was positive so I booked the track for 2011 straight away!
As I hung up my running shoes I told my wife I can just concentrate on organising the MS Circuit Challenge.
At Christmas 2010 again Janet and Jo and I from the MS Trust put our heads together and started to work on the 2011 event. At the meeting I told them that I wasn't running any more marathons for a while but might do one in a few years with my daughters, and that I had got into my cycling. But soon after our meeting I received an email from Janet and Jo from the MS Trust. In the email they asked me to think about a golden bond place for the 2011 marathon! I thought about it for less than half an hour and if I'm honest, I asked my wife, my mum, and my friends on Facebook what I should do. Everyone said the same thing! Do it!
So here I am one week away from the 2nd MS Circuit challenge and 4 weeks away from my 7th London Marathon. I am now 40 years old, the fittest I've been for ages and feeling really good about the marathon.
I mentioned at the start of this little story that I believe in fate. If I had not met my wife, then I wouldn't have met her father and I Wouldn't of started doing all those 25 mile marches. If I hadn't of started doing all those 25 mile marches then I wouldn't have even thought about taking part in the London Marathon let alone doing it 7 times! If my sister Kathleen wasn't diagnosed with multiple sclerosis then I wouldn't be raising funds and awareness for the MS Trust. If I didn't work for the Goodwood estate, then the MS Circuit Challenge wouldn't exist!
My life is mapped out. I have three lovely daughters who I want to walk down the aisle, I have a fantastic wife who I want to grow old with, and around all of that I want to do as much as I can for the MS Trust.
My name is Kenny Smith. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
