Doctors Take On Bristol 10K With Their Patients
Entries for the Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k and the Simplyhealth Great Bristol Family Run are open. Enter now at: Greatrun.org/Bristol10k
Two doctors from a Clifton chiropractic clinic are to take on a running challenge with a group of patients from their practice who they hope to inspire to lead healthier lives.
Doctors Tom Waller and Michael Gallagher, who both live in Bristol, are chiropractors Willow Chiropractic in the city.
The two friends are keen runners and decided to sign up to a challenge at the Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k to compete against each other.
However, during their clinics they came across a lot of patients who showed a desire to want to turn their lives around following their treatment.
Instead of running to beat each other, the two doctors decided to encourage their patients to join them at the event when it returns to the city on Sunday 7 May as a way to increase their confidence.
After putting advertisements around the surgery, they were surprised when eight patients were so inspired by their thoughts that they agreed to tackle the 10k.
The friends hope that by doing the challenge as a group, they will be able to encourage health and activity to all that come to Willow Chiropractic and after their experience with them.
Tom, 30, said: “The majority of our patients come to us with aches and pains and are those whose health has started to decline. “We have around eight patients who we see regularly at the practice that are taking part in the 10k event with us.
“They are all running for a variety of reasons but the main thing that we found is that a lot of the members used to be fit and active but have fallen off the wagon due to the illness or discomfort that they had.
“Through chiropractic treatment they have been able to increase their confidence and fitness and we thought this would be the perfect opportunity for them to put it into practice as a group.
“Dr Mickey and I decided to run along with them to inspire those who see it as a big challenge and to show that you run better when you are together.
“We have both ran previously and we aim to get a good time because we are obviously competitive but now we have a great community element to participating.
“We often take our health for granted until it is lost and I think that dealing with patients on a daily basis, we are able to see how upsetting it can be for someone to lose their good health.
“We think by taking part in something like this with other patients who have made a recovery we are setting a good example to others to show that it is possible to get back to being active.“
Dr Tom and Dr Michael will join their patients, along with over 12,000 others for the Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k, which is one of the UK’s most scenic 10k courses.
The picturesque route features a tour of Bristol city centre before participants head out along the Avon Gorge and pass under the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge before returning back to the city centre to cross the finish line.
The inclusive day of sport also features the Simplyhealth Great Bristol Family Run in Millennium Square, where children and their families can enjoy getting active together.
Tom added: “We will be taking on other initiatives to inform the rest of the patients in the practice about our plan to take on the Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k. It would be amazing if others then thought about signing up to join us.
“I used to be a keen runner but this is something that I have been trying to get back into, so this will be the perfect opportunity.
“I have dealt with sports enthusiasts but also people who are just trying to improve their lifestyles, like those who are joining us on the run.
“Taking on a physical challenge like this not easy for people but hopefully their confidence will grow during their training.
“It will be nice for our patients to see us in a more informal environment and hopefully Mickey and I will be able to develop patient-doctor relations which is always important in our working environment.”
Entries for the Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k and the Simplyhealth Great Bristol Family Run are open. Enter now at: Greatrun.org/Bristol10k
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