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Sisters to cycle 1010 miles in 10 days

Words by Smiley Team

Two sisters are set to cycle 1010 miles in 10 days to raise funds and awareness for epilepsy charity, Jon Shaw Foundation. 

Isabelle and Christina Pettit will set off on their charity endeavour on 8 August, cycling the 1010 miles from Lands’ End to John O Groats, and arriving on 18 August. 

The Jon Shaw Foundation was set up in memory of Jon, who died aged 19 from SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy) in June 2019. It aims to support people living with epilepsy and improve the mental health and wellbeing of bereaved siblings. 

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Izzie is the partner of Jon's eldest brother, Mike, and although the sisters never knew Jon personally, they will be cycling in his honour. The pair will schedule a stop at Crewe, where Jon Shaw grew up and his family operate the charity from. 

“I wanted to help fundraise so we decided to take on the Lands End to John O Groats challenge,” says Izzie. “We were shocked to learn that so many epilepsy sufferers and their families are not informed about the risks of SUDEP and therefore aren’t able to take steps to reduce the risk. It’s vital to increase awareness of this so that young people affected by epilepsy can get access to the information they need to reduce the risk as much as possible.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge, it’s definitely going to be tough mentally! Getting the legs turning day after day won’t be easy.”

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Keeping a steady pace is going to be key to avoiding burn out during the first days, says Izzie. “Luckily, I have Christina to set the pace and remind me it’s not a one-day race. I hope we get lots of support and people sponsor us, I’d love to think that we had made a difference when we cross the finish line at John O Groats."

Christina says she’s “both excited and nervous” about the challenge. “I’m really looking forward to riding in so many beautiful parts of the UK, especially Scotland. Although I’m completely comfortable covering 100 miles or more per day, riding the distance more than three or four days in a row is an unknown and difficult to practise for so I’m expecting this to be a tough challenge!”

Izzie is currently training for full distance triathlon which includes a 112-mile cycle on top of swimming and running. Christina has ridden a 300km route and is aiming to complete a 400km ride in preparation, also recently spent a weekend in Wales to practice riding some big climbs.

To support the Isabelle and Christina‘s gallant efforts you can donate via https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/isabelle-pettit1

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