‘Why we tackled Bidwells Cambridge 10k in aid for Muscular Dystrophy UK’
A mum and her two daughters took on the Bidwells Cambridge 10k for Muscular Dystrophy UK in support of their ex-husband and dad.
Victoria Fiebelkorn, 56, tackled the run today (Sunday, 5 October) with daughters Rosie, 19, and Florence, 17.
They are fundraising for the charity in support of Rob Fiebelkorn, Victoria’s ex-husband and good friend and Rosie and Florence’s dad, who lives with limb girdle muscular dystrophy.
The team, called ‘Run4Jeff’ – Jeff being the children’s nickname for their dad – will be joined by thousands of others on Cambridge’s streets.
Limb girdle muscular dystrophy is a rare muscle wasting condition.
Victoria said: “We’d never heard of it before his (Rob’s) diagnosis and as it’s so rare, most people have no idea what it is. For me, it’s important to raise awareness so that people understand the impact it has on day-to-day life, and those living with a muscle wasting condition can get the help and support they need.”
Rob was diagnosed with the condition around 16 years after going to a GP when he noticed a change in his arm muscles.
“The only way I can describe it is that my biceps dropped around the side of my arm,” Rob said. “I went to my GP who referred me to a sports physio. They thought it was a trapped nerve so I was referred elsewhere and eventually I saw a neurologist who had a hunch that it could be a muscle wasting condition. A blood test confirmed this, but I had to wait for a biopsy to find out what type.
“From my first visit to the GP, it took 18 months to get a diagnosis. Since then, my GP has been great at learning more about LGMD, but I’ve still never met anyone else with the same condition.”
Rob is a landscape gardener and, as his condition progressed and impacted his stength and mobility, found he needed to adapt how he worked.
He said: “It’s a gradual decline. It was just my arms at first, but now the muscles in my legs are impacted. I try to avoid stairs, slopes and hills, or just take them very slowly. Work can be very tiring, but I’m determined to carry on.”
While mum Victoria is a seasoned runner with several half marathons under her belt, Rosie and Florence are relative newcomers. Joining them on the 10k will be their boyfriends Aaron Ludlam and Ollie Pitcher.
Victoria, from Braiseworth in Suffolk, said: “I think it will be a challenge for them. They’ve never done anything like this before, but it’s great that we’re doing it together for Rob. He was very moved when we told him about it and is going to be there on the day, along with our son Fergus, to support us all. I’m a keen runner and have done half marathons before but never taken part in the Cambridge 10k. It’s so close to us and now I know it’s for Muscular Dystrophy UK, this certainly won’t be our last one.”
Muscular Dystrophy UK is the charity for more than 110,000 people in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions.
The event, which has a sister run in Oxford in May, was the 14th of its kind in Cambridge. Organised by Muscular Dystrophy UK, the event series started in Oxford in 1982, inspired by a local boy Daniel Cleaver who had the disease. The Cambridge run featured a closed-road route through the heart of the city, taking in historic city sights, with chip timing and an event village.