Islander hoping to raise £1000 for charity at this year’s Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon

xx August 2016 - This year, organisers of the Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon are calling on people to share their reasons for entering the race on social media using the hashtag #runforareason.

The aim is to inspire others to consider taking on the challenge and in turn raise as much money as possible for the event’s charity partners, Seeing is Believing and Brig-y-Don Children’s Charity.

Islander Sarah Naylor, 26, is one such participant preparing to #runforareason. She is hoping to raise £1000 for the Molly Watt Trust (MWT), a UK charity set up to help people who suffer from Usher Syndrome and to fund research into finding a cure for the rare hearing and visual impairment disorder.

Sarah, an ex Grainville and Hautlieu student, decided to run her first ever marathon after hearing last year that her 17 year old cousin Pamela had been diagnosed with Type II Usher Syndrome.

‘Pamela was born hard of hearing but last year she discovered that she has Type II Usher Syndrome, which means her sight is also now deteriorating.I wanted to do something for Pamela to show my support and hopefully raise money to help other individuals and families affected by the condition. We are so proud of Pamela who recently bravely donated a skin sample to Great Ormond Street Hospital to help with their future research,’ said Sarah.

‘I’ve participated in the Mourant Ozannes Relay Run twice amongst many other local charity events, but this year will be my first ever attempt at a full marathon. The sense of achievement afterwards and knowing I’ve tried to support Pamela in some way will make all the hard work worthwhile.’

Usher Syndrome a rare genetic disorder which results in a combination of hearing loss and visual impairment. The condition is a leading cause of deafblindness worldwide and at present it is incurable.

Sarah is training for the marathon, which takes place on Sunday 2nd October, by taking part in circuits at the gym and increasing her running each week.

‘I don’t have a strict training schedule but I’m maintaining my fitness levels and hoping to complete the marathon in less than five hours. I’ve had great support from my family, friends and others - notably Adrian who takes the circuit classes that I’ve been going to for the last two years. For me, just completing the run would be a huge achievement. I myself have a problem with my ears in that my Eustachian tubes are too wide, which means I experience constant autophony and am left with a “bucket over the head” feeling. This, alongside the pressure changes that this problem causes, can be very distracting,especially when I’m running or exercising. I’m currently waiting for surgery on one ear to reconstruct the drum in the hope that it helps in some way,’ added Sarah.

This year’s Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon takes place on Sunday 2nd October. Online entry is open at

To share your stories, tweet @Jersey_Marathon using the hashtag #runforareason or go to

To donate to Sarah’s cause, visit

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For further information please contact:

Ben Brigden

Liquid

01534 488899

Note to Editors

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