My Story

We are running the TCS London Marathon 2024 as part of the #RugbyRunners team that is fundraising to support rugby players who experience life-changing injuries. 

As all of you will know, we love rugby and have been involved in the game in many different ways.

Caz has been an enthusiastic supporter since she realised it was a good to topic to talk to her dad about on his weekly visits. This turned into a journalistic passion that saw her working at a sport agency in Cardiff, then as deputy rugby reporter on the Northampton Chronicle & Echo before becoming communications manager for Northampton Saints and then Exeter Chiefs. She is currently the media manager for Exeter Chiefs Women.

John's rugby CV includes school, Lichfield RFC, county, Melbourne RFC and Loughborough University before hanging up his boots from the super twos of Kingsbridge RFC! John chose rugby physio over playing. He started looking after rugby players for Saints, then Gloucester and lead physio at Chiefs for six years, as well as being physio for England U21s and Sevens. In recent years, he has coached Kingsbridge U13s, U15s and U16s girls teams, including our daughter Maggie.

Rugby is a massive part of our lives and, for John, so is rehabilitation from injury. This charity perfectly reflects our passion for the sport...and is well worth running 26.2 miles for, not to mention the training! 

If you have not heard of them, here's some more detail: The RFU Injured Players Foundation provides support and information to rugby players in England who sustain a catastrophic spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury playing the game and help prevent future injuries through vital research. 

Their assistance is available to any player, from grassroots up to professional level, to empower them to lead their lives as fully and independently as they are able to. They are there for the player, family, friends and club immediately after injury and for the rest of their lives.

They are continually funding research to make breakthroughs to understand how they can improve the care of the injured player and make the game of rugby safer with the vision to allow everyone to play the game without life-changing injuries occurring.

They also offer help to individuals who sustain injuries while playing rugby that are not classed as a catastrophic spinal cord injury or a traumatic brain injury, by providing information and where possible by relieving financial hardship.

We want everyone who loves the game to get involved. We need YOU to help raise funds and raise awareness to support injured players and to fund vital research.

For real stories of players the IPF has supported, please visit: www.rfuipf.org.uk