Dad Runs London Marathon With Just Eight Weeks Training for Sick Son Born With Rare Condition

The dad of a baby with a rare medical condition ran the London Marathon after just eight weeks of training.

Ross Jeavons' son Corey, who is just seven months old, has a condition wherein his stomach and esophagus are not connected, and he cannot swallow. Charity TOFS, which supports kids with the said condition, put out a plea for a runner in the London Marathon after a last-minute injury to one of their participants.

The dad of two, who hails from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, said it seemed like fate. He dedicated this long run to his son Corey, who was born with tracheo-oesophageal fistula (TOF), an abnormal connection between the trachea and esophagus. He also has long gap oesophageal atresia, which means his esophagus was not connected to his stomach.

Ross answers the call after TOFS appeals for last minute runner

Life for Jeavons and his wife Katie has been tough as they have to balance looking after their two-year-old son Callum while managing Corey's care, in addition to both of them working.

TOFS appealed for a last-minute marathon runner eight weeks ago to help fundraise for them, and Jeavons said his first thought was there was no chance he could possibly join with that short preparation time.

He has experienced running in the London Marathon before, though. Before his youngest son, Corey, was born, he used to run often. He even ran the London Marathon in October of last year. However, he had not run regularly since just before his son's birth in February.

He said that he knows how hard it is to do a marathon and how much you need to train. He added that he had about two years of training last year because of the cancellations with COVID, which helped because you need to be fit.

His wife made him reconsider, telling him that it seemed like fate. Jeavons thought the same, but after he accepted TOFS' offer, he started panicking. The main thought that came to mind was, "What have I done?"

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Jeavon looking to break fundraising record of TOFS

Corey has spent half of his life in the hospital and has been at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for much of the last six weeks. That site became Jeavons' main training ground by default.

Although the dad was a little nervous about the challenge the London Marathon presented, he said it had been a positive focus for him and the whole family, helping them at such a horrific time.

Jeavons told BBC that he had hoped to break the charity's fundraising record of £7,000 to help other kids and adults with the conditions and their families. He said they could do something special to help children like Corey and adults like him and create help for a better future.

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