Edward Porter volunteering on Park Run
A pensioner who married his long-lost childhood sweetheart will pull on his trainers and compete in the Derby 10k in her memory this weekend.
Seventy-nine-year-old Edward Porter met wife Ivy when the pair were teenagers in their native South Africa, and they had a short-lived romance before going their separate ways.
Two marriages and several years later, the pair reunited and moved to the UK before, sadly, Ivy died of cancer.
Edward, who will celebrate his 80th birthday next January, will take part in the annual Derby 10k and is running for Derbyshire-based end-of-life charity Treetops Hospice. He has run for the local hospice in the past ‘in memory of Ivy and my friends and family – Ted Hallett, Helen Kramer, Joy Wright, Barbara Porter (Ivy’s sister) and brother Cecil Porter – who have all died from life-limiting illnesses’.
Edward said: “Ivy was the love of my life. I met her when I was 15 and she was 13. We were childhood sweethearts but went our separate ways and a few years later, I met and married my first wife Jean.
“Things didn’t quite work out with Jean and I and, after divorcing, I started running competitively. I would take part in ultra-marathons (races of more than 26.3 miles) and when I was running in her home city of Cape Town, I thought that it would be nice to make contact again.
“The timing wasn’t quite right but, a few months after that competition in Cape Town, she called me. We agreed to meet up and it was like we had never been apart.”
The pair married in South Africa and, 11 years ago, moved to the UK to be near Ivy’s son.
“Sadly, not long after we moved to the UK, Ivy was diagnosed with cancer and passed away,” said Edward.
“I briefly returned to South Africa, but the country was so very different to what I remembered. I moved back here to the UK, and this is where I call home now.”
Edward was retired when he finally settled in the UK but kept himself busy with various part-time jobs – including working as a kitchen porter at Earls Court in London during the Olympic Games in 2012.
He also began volunteering and continued to run in weekly Park Run sessions; 5k timed runs which take place up and down the country every weekend.
“I run every day so I’m still very fit. I did the Derby 10k in 1hr 26mins last year but I’m hoping to get under 1hr 20 this time.”
The Derby 10k celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2022. The relatively flat route sees competitors start and finish at Derby County’s Pride Park Stadium, passing the Derbion and cathedral enroute.
Adela Appleby, head of community relationships at Treetops said: “We’re thrilled that Edward is running the Derby 10k in Team Treetops and we’d love to hear from others who’d like to take part in any of our other running events or challenges.
“Fundraising for the hospice makes a big difference. Every step you take means you are helping a local person at the very end of life to remain in the comfort of their home with their family around them, cared for by a Treetops nurse.”
All Team Treetops runners pay a discounted entry fee for their chosen event. Participants receive a Treetops running tech-shirt and 10% discount card for Derby Runner. Participants are asked to raise sponsorship money to help pay for one or more nights of Hospice at Home nursing care.
For more information, head to www.treetopshospice.org.uk/events or call the fundraising team on 0115 949 1264.
