I knew I had to do something to raise awareness about type 1 diabetes and challenge misconceptions about exercise, so I researched the extreme events where I could prove that type 1 diabetes shouldn’t stop you achieving your goals in life. For my first race I picked the Marathon de Sables, ‘the toughest footrace in the world’, a 6-day ultra-marathon of 155 miles (251km) under a blazing Saharan Sun. I took part in 2013 and was the second type 1 diabetic to complete it. I finished 273rd in 35H55’02.

Not everything I do is extreme; I do just run a leisurely UK based ultra marathon every now and then, such as the 53 mile Highland Fling that I completed in April 2014!