Lewis' inspiring efforts to offer hope to others

Running in memory of his sister and nephew, Lewis Confrey recently completed his first 13.1 mile race and couldn't be happier with both his time and the incredible amount he raised for Cruse Scotland.

The 25 year old from Peebles took part in the Scottish Half Marathon in Edinburgh to offer hope and support to others who are struggling to cope with their grief. Here's a short blog from this superstar himself...

“After starting running in May I became a little hooked on it so decided to challenge myself to run a Half marathon in Edinburgh in September and to raise money for Cruse Scotland.

Tragedy has struck twice in my family in the last five years, my sister Mandy sadly died in 2018 at the age of 36 and my nephew Jack, in 2021 at the very young age of 19.

I wanted to run in support of Cruse Scotland because although I never reached out to them when I had a loss in my family, I understand how tough it is and how hard it can to be overcome. So if I can be of help to anyone going through something similar, then great.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Half Marathon. I was cruising up until about mile 10 - then it got tough. But as hard as the last 2 or 3 miles were - it was worth it! I was aiming for the sub 2 hour mark and I managed to do it in 1:53:40 which I'm really happy with. I'll be sure to do another one!

My mum and brother were watching and I had a group of friends at mile 10 cheering me on so that helped a lot but I think my main motivation was everyone who has donated money and all the support that money can provide to people needing help with their grief.

I'm super chuffed with my time for my first half but also delighted that I managed to raise over £1,400 for Cruse Scotland! 

I'm a bit overwhelmed with how much I've actually made, my original target was £500 which I thought would take me the 12 weeks of my training to make, so to almost triple that amount is a bit surreal. Never in a million years expected to make that and for people to be so generous.

If someone was thinking about taking on a running challenge for Cruse Scotland, I’d say JUST DO IT! The feeling of knowing that money is going to help people who are going through some of the worst times of their life overrides the pain of the early mornings long runs, 10 times over!”

Lewis Confrey

Thank you so much to Lewis for all the hard work, training, fundraising and of course for smashing it on the day, and a big thanks to everyone who donated so generously to this incredible gift. You are all helping to ensure that children, young people and adults who are struggling to cope with their grief following the death of a loved one can access invaluable bereavement support, at no cost, to find a way to move forward positively again. Thank you for offering hope to others.

If you’re inspired by Lewis’s efforts, why not take on your own run? We can offer free entry to some 5K, 10k, Half and Full marathons, or you can sign up to any others that catch your eye. Either way we will kit you out in a T-shirt and provide all the fundraising support you need to smash your goals.

Have a look at our event calendar or get in touch with Scott to chat more and we look forward to welcoming you Team Cruse Scotland soon!