Peterborough dad with five-year-old autistic son runs seven half marathons in seven days for Dogs for Autism charity

A Peterborough dad with a five-year-old autistic son has run seven half marathons in seven days for a charity that provides assistance dogs to support people with autism.

Jason Lovett, 49, from Reeves Way, Eastfield, ran a 13.2-mile route of Dogsthorpe every day from September 30 to October 6 – raising more than £700 for Dogs for Autism.

“I was driven to do it for him,” Jason said.

"Over the last few years I’ve done a bit here and there for charity. Every year I pick a charity I want to do something for, while at the same time pushing myself to see what I’m physically capable of."

Jason said that it was on his bucket list to run seven half marathons.

“I’m a keen runner, but I’m not the best runner in the world by a long shot,” he said. "I won’t be breaking any records.

"I’m hampered by my arthritis in my hips and knees, but I look at it like this: my pain is temporary – I can get over it – but some people will never get over the challenges they face in life.

“If we can all come together to help people in need the world will be a better place.”

Despite feeling “a few aches and pains” along the way, the money Jason has raised will help Dogs for Autism to fulfill its mission to ‘help autistic people to realise their potential, improve their access to their chosen communities, and enhance their emotional and physical wellbeing’.

“In the ideal world, you would run the half marathon, come home, eat, rest and sleep,” Jason added. “But my little boy, Anakin, who is the youngest of my three children, is always on the go, so he can’t understand that daddy needs rest.

“It’s a great thing Dogs for Autism are doing and it’s not a massively well known charity.”

You can still donate to Jason’s Dogs for Autism fundraising page by clicking here.