Partially blind Woolton Hill man to tackle London Marathon
Father-of-three Tim has macular degeneration and is raising money for RNIB
A WOOLTON Hill resident is taking on the London Marathon, despite being partially blind.
Tim Escudier, 64, suffers from macular degeneration – a disease affecting the macula in the eye, causing the loss of central vision.
In 1997, Mr Escudier totally lost the central vision in his right eye, while damage to his left eye forced his retirement from full-time work as an IT executive in 2004.
He is still able to maintain a fairly normal life, although he struggles with darkness and seeing people’s faces.
The father-of-three is not letting this hold him back however – as he dons his running shoes for the 26.2-mile event on April 26.
He will be raising money for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) – a UK charity supporting people with sight loss.
He said: “I’m 65 in September and with it being 2020, it all seemed to have some symmetry.
“I did the Paris Marathon four years ago and I’ve wanted to get into the London Marathon for a long time, but it’s not easy to get on the ballot.
“I’m raising money for the RNIB, which is close to my heart.
“They do great work for blind people and people with severely impaired eyesight.”
To prepare for the challenge, Mr Escudier has been running around the Woolton Hill countryside, gradually getting more and more miles into his legs to ensure that he’s ready for the big day.
He continued: “My preparation is going well – I’d like to hit about four-and-a-half hours on the day.
“It’s about training – you need to put in the work to get the endurance at the end of the day.
“My long runs are up to 16 miles, I’m in the gym four or five times a week and I’m doing a long and short run every week, so it’s going well.
“I didn’t run the Paris Marathon as effectively as I wanted to – it was very hot and I’d had injuries in the run up to it.
“The London Marathon is quite a day.
“I’m fortunate to be in it, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Mr Escudier has so far raised just over £650 for the charity and is targetting £2,020 – which will go towards the RNIB’s own £250,000 fundraising target for the event.
To donate to his cause, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tim-escudier
