Why 190 miles?
For the last 12 years, my life has been steeped in tea. As a professional tea taster, buyer, and blender for a global household brand, the trade has given me a career, a community, and a livelihood to support my three young children. Serving as a trustee for the UK Tea Trade Benevolent Society is my way of putting tea front and centre—giving back to the safety net that supports the people behind every cup.
But the sheer will to run 190 miles comes from somewhere else. My grandfather, Harvey Taylor, was a WWII RAF rear gunner in Lancaster bombers. He endured treacherous, deadly skies without knowing if an end was in sight. Compared to that, a run of my own making—with a clear finish line, and friends and family supporting—is a privilege. It is a walk in the park by comparison.
Sadly, he later developed Alzheimer's. Witnessing the crippling reality of a disease that steals over 55 million minds worldwide—with a staggering new diagnosis every three seconds—changes you. I am running to offer whatever support I can to fund the breakthrough that finally cures this thiefful disease.
The route itself—from a Welsh tea estate to the Cutty Sark—pays homage to my tea roots. But the sheer determination and will to persevere and conquer the road ahead is a firm nod to my grandfather.
