Let Inspiration Beat Bureaucracy

Fetch Everyone is a running Community site – in fact, Fetch is a running Community that generates more team spirit at the events it participates in than the “official” running teams do. It knocks spots off every other of the hip community sites that are around at the moment – and probably predates them all.

Within the Fetch community, and in the running community beyond that, Mick ‘n’ Phil are legends. Their story is quite inspirational, but basically the two of them participate in running events across the Country; Mick pushes his cerebral palsy sufferer son, Phil, in a wheelchair. That little line really doesn’t do them justice – but their website does – please take a look. I challenge you to look at those photographs and not be inspired.

For some strange reason the organisers of the London Marathon have decreed that Mick ‘n’ Phil are not able to compete for Health and Safety reasons. So, the marathon that has; Rhinos; deep sea divers; St George and the Dragon; and Indian Jones pulling a rock, will not allow one of the Country’s most prolific running participants to take part for Health and Safety reasons, even though they have proven time and time and time again that they are not a problem, but an inspiration.

This is how much it means to them, it is a quote from FetchEveryone.com that Mick has given me permission to use:

“it would be our dream to take part in FLM, we have little or no preperation between races week to week, as it's our whole life and we live it 24 / 7 / 365

We don't live it just on Sunday, and live ordinary all week, it's like a gospel to us, we live it every day sometimes i find it still hard to see what we've achieved and find it difficult to understand you all supporting us

We've tried so very hard in life, but me and Phil running together has reunited us, and given us our life back, so much more than we could ever of imagined”

This is the sort of bureaucracy that I hate, there are no Health and Safety regulations in the world justify this decision when you look at the fantastic list of running events that Mick ‘n’ Phil have taken part in. My view is the organisers are looking at barriers rather than possibilities; something that happens far too often in our society.

I would really like every reader of this blog to do a few things, the first is tell everyone that Mick ‘n’ Phil should not just be allowed to take part in the London Marathon, in fact that David Bedford should be honoured to have such inspirational people taking part. Secondly, sign this petition and get everyone else to. Lastly, if you are a Facebook member, join this group.

This is quite simple, either the bureaucrats win, or Mick ‘n’ Phil do. I’m for the latter.