Jon Cade, 36, from Somerset works as an audiologist and sees first-hand every day how hearing loss and tinnitus affects people’s lives. When he decided to run the Taunton Half Marathon, he knew immediately that he wanted to run in support of RNID.
Seeing the impact of hearing loss
As an audiologist, I regularly work with people who are struggling not just with hearing loss itself, but with the frustration and isolation that can come with it.
Hearing loss is often something that’s underestimated, but it can affect confidence, relationships, and overall quality of life.
When I decided to take on the Taunton Half Marathon, supporting RNID felt like a very natural fit.
During my fundraising, a lot of my friends asked, ‘Who are RNID?’ and ‘What do they do?’ It made me realise that I can sometimes take awareness of hearing care for granted because I work in it every day but, for many people, it’s still not widely understood.
The ripple effect of hearing loss
One of the biggest things I see in my audiology clinic is that hearing loss isn’t just about volume – it has a real impact on mental health and overall wellbeing.
When conversations become difficult, especially in groups or noisy environments, people can start to withdraw. Over time, that can lead to reduced social interaction, lower confidence, and in some cases, feelings of loneliness. Constantly trying to keep up with conversations can also be exhausting.
I think if more people understood that hearing loss is as much about connection, confidence, and mental wellbeing as it is about hearing itself, we would see more people seeking help earlier and more understanding from those around them.
For me, the half marathon was not just about running, but about raising this awareness of hearing loss and of the work RNID does.
Running with purpose
I haven’t always been a runner. In fact, I hardly did any running before signing up for the half marathon. But, as a new dad, I’d been reflecting on my health and day-to-day energy levels and wanted to lose a bit of weight and improve my overall fitness, so decided I’d take on the challenge.
Knowing I was supporting RNID made it much easier to commit to, as it gave the whole process a purpose beyond just the physical challenge.
Getting into gear
I trained for about 17 weeks leading up to the event. Training was hard during the winter. There were a lot of cold, dark runs, and it would have been easy to skip them!
I had an app with a structured running programme that I followed during that time to help me stay on track. It was really motivating to see my progress, and I covered about 500km in training. I’m really proud of that. Seeing what I had already achieved gave me so much confidence going into the event.
Race day highs
On the day itself, the atmosphere was amazing. The support of the crowds helped to push me through when it got tough, but the event had much wider impact too. It created a great sense of community locally, and seeing thousands of people out and about supporting the event with the high street bustling was incredibly positive.
It was a mix of relief, pride, and a bit of disbelief when I crossed the finish line.
Coming from not really being a runner to completing it within my target time and doing it for a cause that’s closely linked to my career of helping people hear, made it quite a special moment.
Raising funds and awareness
I was genuinely blown away by the support I received, not just on the day, but during my fundraising too. Being open about why I was doing it seemed to resonate with people. It also sparked quite a few conversations about hearing loss and what RNID does.
So much work goes on behind the scenes to provide practical support and campaign for more awareness and access to care, so I am glad to have been able to support the cause.
