Under a bright blue sky and beaming sunshine on Saturday 16th April, #TeamMedway came together at Great Lines parkrun sporting white 'Run for Dee' tops and bright red lipstick to run an extra lap of the hilly parkrun course to raise money for one of our run leaders, Dee Yamoah. 

The 'Lipstick Lap' was organised by Tracy Rodwell to represent the big red lipstick smile Dee was always seen with! The event was incredibly well-attended. Dee is a popular and much-loved core member of Medway Fit but is also very involved in other clubs around Medway. Always an advocate of #TeamMedway, the Lipstick Lap showed just how loved she is throughout the whole Medway running community.

Following parkrun, runners were able to purchase a huge selection of sweet treats, 'Run for Dee' badges, and have a go at the tombola & lucky dip. Everyone joined in and an incredible £877.88 was raised for Dee's recovery. 

The Lipstick Lap was kicked off by some lovely words from Dee's daughter Jade and a big group photo of everyone taking part, fronted by Dee's husband, Harry, and two daughters, Jade and Rihanna. Everyone enjoyed the extra lap of the course and the sea of white around the Great Lines was representative of just how loved Dee is! 

This is just the first event to raise money towards Dee's recovery. Watch this space for the next event and keep a check on our website for availability of the 'Run for Dee' t-shirts and vest tops.  

A blizzard is forecast for 10 am on the Great Lines, Saturday April 16. That’s a blizzard of runners wearing white tee shirts and singlets who will be starting a special extra lap of the otherwise usual Saturday morning parkrun. Their tops will be emblazoned with a ‘Run for Dee’ logo bearing a distinctive red lipstick graphic on the front and #TeamMedway on the back to remind us of Dee Yamoah’s radiant smile and her support for runners and running clubs across Medway.
 
This ‘Lipstick Lap’ is being organised by Tracy Rodwell and the Great Lines Parkrun volunteer group with support from the wider Medway running community to aid Dee’s recuperation from serious illness. Each runner will have paid £20 per top, the profits from which are being donated to the special  ‘Go Fund Me’ project recently set up by Dee’s daughter Rhianna to raise funds to help Dee’s long road to recovery.
 
Throughout 2021, Dee had been suffering chronic head pains and, perhaps exacerbated by the pandemic, was unable to secure the treatment she needed until, eventually, a scan in September revealed the severity of her situation. She was rushed to a London hospital where she underwent emergency surgery and several subsequent operations. She is still in hospital now.
 
Although the deadline for ordering the tops in time for the Lipstick Lap has passed, new orders are still rolling in. At the time of writing, well over 150 running tops had been sold. So we can expect a big turnout on April 16.
 
For all those who have known Dee, such a groundswell of support for her will come as no surprise. Over the years she has been pivotal in actively nurturing a wide interest in the sport of running with clubs and individuals throughout Medway and beyond. 
 
Within Medway Fit, as an enthusiastic champion for the personal fitness and wellbeing benefits that running provides, Dee has played a major role not only as a founder but also as a regular run leader. She embodies the club’s sense of togetherness, inclusivity and true community spirit where runs and training sessions are generally free and open to all abilities.
 
Steadily growing membership and regular attendance at club runs is testimony that this philosophy works. Whether you can run a 5K in 15 minutes, or 50 minutes and more, everybody’s welcome; you’re part of a mutually caring community. Regrettably, at the moment a key member of that community is absent.
 
So Dee, get well and come back as soon as you can. We miss you!

Thanks for reading, contributed by Footblogger - Bob Greenwood