LIVINGLIVING
MY DIABETES KIT
GAVIN GRIFFITHS
continued over
G
avin Griffiths was
diagnosed with Type
1 diabetes when he
was eight years old in
2000. He'd been off
sick with the 'flu virus and recalls, "We'd
been calling it the millennium bug, we
were all sick my mum my dad and my
sister, but I was the only one who stayed
ill. I'd been off school and had been
poorly all over Christmas. I couldn't get
a doctor's appointment as it was hectic
over the holidays. I finally got seen at the
doctors in January and they rushed me
into hospital. It took a week to stabilise
me and I left with syringes and a vial
after being taught how to use mixed
insulin. I also had a blood test meter.
I remember you could press a button
and it fired out the used lancet, which
occasionally got me into trouble…"
Fast forward to 18 years on, and he
was undertaking this marathon task,
literally a marathon of marathons. What
on earth possessed him? He says, "I've
always been sporty but mainly in quite a
laid-back way; competitive but gracious
in defeat - as a Crystal Palace fan, I
have to be! I do remember asking the
doctor when I'd been told I had diabetes,
'can I still play sport?' At the time I was
particularly bothered about football and it
seemed back then that they talked more
about the risks of doing sport over being
supportive of it. Then about 10 years ago,
when I was 17, I started doing sponsored
runs in order to raise money for the local
diabetes clinic. I think I was a little tired
EDITOR'S NOTE: When I spoke
to Gavin Griffiths, also known as
the DiAthlete, he had completed 16
marathons and had nine more to do
before running the final one in London
on May 13, bringing the total to 25.
A marathon is 26.2 miles. These runs
were undertaken in various cities around
the country and for many he was joined
by local people with diabetes who ran
some or all the way with him.
- Sue Marshall
of being told I couldn't do it, or that it
would be hard. Even my parents were
understandably worried, but I actually
ended up running 29 miles in 3 hours and
1 minute - I proved to myself I could do it,
just gutted about that minute!"
Helpful tech
It was at this time that Griffiths started
using the name DiAthlete, and it stuck.
He started doing bigger challenges
meanwhile engaging with people on
social media networks. "In 2014 I did a
challenge in the United States to do seven
marathons in seven days. I was very lucky
to have been sponsored by Dexcom. The
company invited me over to take part and
use their CGM system. It was the first
time I'd tried any sort of CGM and it was
immediately helpful. At that point I was
using a G4, now I use a G5. I can see the
data on my mobile phone via the Dexcom
app and wear the phone in a clear case
strapped to my arm. All I need to do it is
glance at it to know what's going on."
Of the UK-based series of marathons
that Griffiths started at the end of April,
he says that the interesting thing has
been running through so many different
landscapes, as well as meeting many
people who have cheered him on and
given him support in other ways. For each
run he tended to start at about 9:30am
and finish at about 4:30pm, having had
a lunch break earlier in the day. He was
accompanied on each run by a support I can see my data on
my mobile phone via
the Dexcom app and
wear the phone in a
clear case strapped to
my arm. All I need to
do it is glance at it to
know what's going on.
"