ELY DAD TAKES ON 12 HALF MARATHONS IN 12 MONTHS

INSPIRED BY HIS DEAF DAUGHTER

An Ely father is lacing up his trainers for an extraordinary challenge: running 12 half marathons in 12 months to raise funds for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – inspired
by his seven-year-old daughter, Dottie, who is profoundly deaf.
Tom Maynard, 39 who lives in Ely, Cambridge, with his wife Rachael, Dottie and her three-year-old brother Rex, began the challenge in December as a way of marking
his 40th birthday.
“When I realised my 40th was coming up, I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to run a half marathon every month in the lead-up to November. But I also
wanted it to mean something,” explained Tom.
Tom’s daughter Dottie was born profoundly deaf with enlarged vestibular aqueducts and Mondini malformation. She now has cochlear implants* in both ears – the first
fitted when she was just 14 months old in May 2019 and the second a few months later.
Despite the challenges she faces, Dottie is thriving. She is in a mainstream school, where teachers wear a mini mic that sends sound directly to her implants. A teacher
of the deaf visits once a month to provide specialist support.
Listening takes immense concentration for her though, as Tom explains. “It’s very tiring and she often crashes out as soon as she gets home from school. Night-time is
particularly hard. When she takes her cochlear implants off, her world is completely silent and dark and that’s very isolating for her. We usually sit with her until she falls
asleep.”
Tom and his wife are hoping that a hearing dog could one day make a life-changing difference for Dottie.
“The way the dogs alert their partners to important and often life-saving sounds is amazing,” Tom said. “But more than that, it’s about companionship and comfort. Just
having a dog with her at nighttime would help Dottie feel safer and more secure.” That possibility is what fuels Tom’s 40th birthday challenge.
Tom is no stranger to running, having completed multiple London Marathons – his first in 2014, but this new challenge has required meticulous planning.

Tom began training in September ahead of his first race in December. His routine includes a run on Tuesdays, often through Regent’s Park, close to where he works in
Soho, a further run on a Thursday, and a longer weekend run.
Tom has already completed his first three races: ‘T’was the run before Christmas’ in Brandon near Bury St Edmunds, ‘Run for Cake’ in Peterborough and ‘Windmill Way
Wander’ in Bury St Edmunds.
On Sunday Tom will take on the Cambridge Half, which is ‘very scenic and takes in the university colleges’. In the coming months he’ll be taking part in similar events in
Manchester, the Goodwood Moto circuit and Bath. He is particularly excited to be taking part in the iconic Great North Run in Newcastle in September.
His final race in November will take place at Alton Towers, where runners pass through the theme park before having the opportunity to celebrate with a
rollercoaster ride or two.
“We’ve decided to make weekends of them,” Tom said. “It’s a great opportunity for us as a family to explore different parts of the UK together.”
Every mile represents more than personal achievement for Tom. It’s about raising awareness of the charity’s work, the everyday challenges of being deaf, and helping
children like Dottie feel safer, stronger and less alone.
Being deaf can greatly impact a person’s quality of life, making it difficult for them to communicate with others. This can cause them to withdraw from social situations
and experience overwhelming feelings of isolation, often resulting in anxiety, depression and loneliness.
In addition, the fear of missing important sounds, such as smoke, fire and intruder alarms, can leave deaf people feeling incredibly vulnerable and unsafe.
To support Tom’s challenge and raise funds for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, donations can be made via his fundraising page:
https://events.hearingdogs.org.uk/fundraisers/thomasmaynard
If you’d like to also keep up to date with Tom’s races and follow his progress, please follow his Instagram account @maynards_half_marathons.