For those of you who think it's just a run in the park and don't see what the fuss is , read about 8 year old Bailey Matthews , a park runner and triathlete who also has cerebral palsy .
This is what his parents wrote this week
" We have never heard our son complain about having cerebral palsy. He does complain about blisters and tiredness as we all do, but this absence of misery supports our belief that Bailey doesn’t see himself as disabled. He has limitations, like many of us do in one way or another, but he just gets on with things. We’ve never wrapped him in cotton wool, and when Bailey puts his mind to something there’s just no stopping him.
The online footage of Bailey crossing the finish line at the Castle Howard Triathlon last summer has had more than 80 million views. The global reaction took all of us by surprise though, largely because we had seen it all before – many times!
The significance that parkrun has had in Bailey’s development as a participant in sport, his character, and dare we say it, his status as a global ‘celebrity’ can’t be understated. parkrun gave him his first experience of organised and mainstream sport, and if he hadn’t been so warmly welcomed and embraced with such passion and enthusiasm, his character may never have evolved in the way that it has.
It is impossible to forget the first time that Bailey finished Clumber Park parkrun – that was, in many ways, a million times more emotional than the finish at the triathlon. He took more than an hour, and many of the regulars remained at the finish line along with all the volunteers. A funnel was formed, a Mexican wave went up along with roars of congratulation and cheering. Bailey’s face was, to use a cliché, ‘a picture’! He was taking it all in, looking around with the biggest smile across his face I have ever seen. We are convinced that it was this rapturous reception, and this realisation that he would ‘fit in’, that provided the impetus for everything that has followed.
Since then Bailey has received the Pride of Britain Award, the Helen Rollason Award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and been shortlisted for numerous triathlon awards. And just recently, a teenager who also uses a walking frame as a result of an injury caused by a brain haemorrhage has joined parkrun. This shows what a true inspiration Bailey has become, not just to people with disabilities but to everyone. He is truly an inspiration to all, which underpins the hashtag that was coined on Twitter after the triathlon video went viral – #BeMoreBailey.
Bailey has always been a confident character, but Lyndon Stocks and the core team at Clumber Park have played a huge part in developing Bailey’s character. Bailey is an ‘ideas’ person; he has big, bold ideas and Lyndon and the team don’t just listen to Bailey – they help him develop and realise those ideas. For example, at an anniversary event, Bailey decided he would like to do his tribute to the Foo Fighters (his favourite band) and asked if he could do an open-air concert. Lyndon didn’t just agree; he organised a gazebo and a stage!
On Saturday Bailey completed his 50th parkrun. He was his usual chirpy self at the briefing – heckling Lyndon is as much part of his parkrun as the parkrun itself(!) – and when he saw some puddles on the course he quipped he wished he had his wetsuit! All the family – aunties, uncles, grandparents and parkrun friends – turned out with cakes and sandwiches for everybody. Bailey then carried on to shout ‘CAKE!’ and ‘SANDWICHES!’ like he was an East End market trader. It would take more than terrible weather to put a dampener on Bailey and his beloved parkrun.
As a family we can’t thank the people at our local parkrun enough for everything they’ve done to make Bailey feel accepted and part of something. The parkrun community is a massive part of Bailey’s life and because of them he has the determination to keep going and keep improving.
Without parkrun, there wouldn’t be a Bailey Matthews story.
Jonathan and Julie