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A Caerphilly woman is set to take on the Cardiff Half Marathon – in one of her first races since being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Megan Bowen, from Caerphilly town, will be taking part alongside more than 27,500 runners in the 20th anniversary of the race, which started in 2003.
Megan, 23, previously represented Wales at an international level and set a Cardiff Parkrun record in her age category at 18 minutes 32 seconds, before having to stop running due to chronic fatigue.
Now, she is back on the road and raising money for NSPCC along the way.
What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Myalgic encephalomyelitis, also called chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS, is a long-term condition with a wide range of symptoms. The most common symptom is extreme tiredness.
ME/CFS can affect anyone, including children. It’s more common in women and tends to develop between your mid-20s and mid-40s.
Source: NHS
Megan said: “I have to keep my heart rate low when training.
“It makes it a bit more difficult but I am really enjoying being back running again.”
Megan, who is studying Biochemistry at Cardiff University, added: “I chose to raise funds for the NSPCC because I know the charity does a lot of good work.
“Every child deserves to have a safe space that they can go to when they are suffering from the unimaginable.”
Around 600 runners have so far signed up to run the 13.1 mile route for Team NSPCC, with the event raising almost £500,000 to date for the children’s charity.
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