Jake's Half Marathon in Memory of Joseph Parry

In Memory of Joseph Parry – A Legacy of Strength, Spirit, and Selflessness.

On the evening of 26th May 2025, I received the devastating news that my dear friend of 22 years, Joseph Parry, had been killed in a tragic motorcycle accident.
Joe’s life was never easy. He faced constant uncertainty, adversity, and long battles with his mental health.

Much of this stemmed from life-changing injuries he sustained years earlier while peacefully riding home from work. That accident left him with excruciating pain, paralysis down the left side of his body, and a litany of other complications.

But if you knew Joe, you knew this: defeat was never an option.
He met every obstacle with grit, humour, and an unstoppable will to live. With a smile on his face and a joke always close by, he found ways to keep going — and often, ways to win.
Through sheer determination, intelligence, and creativity, Joe relearned how to do everything. That included riding a modified motorcycle — with one arm.

Alongside his best friend Mitch, he toured over 1,000 miles around Ireland and rode through France, Belgium, and Germany, ultimately conquering the legendary Nürburgring.
He documented it all on YouTube, not for fame, but to inspire. Joe wanted to show others — especially people with disabilities — that if he could do it, they could too.

Joe was driven by a simple, powerful mission:

To reduce suffering.

To encourage others to step outside of fear and pain to live rich, full lives again and in doing so reduce suicide rates and low quality of life in the disabled motorcycling community.

To lift others up, purely because they shared the same planet.

Now that Joe is no longer here to continue this mission himself, I want to in some small way carry it forward in his honour. I’ll be running the Forest of Dean Autumn Half Marathon to raise money for a charity close to Joe’s heart and his family’s:
The National Association for Bikers with a Disability.

This organisation helps people like Joe find independence, freedom, and hope through motorcycling — and supports families navigating life after trauma. They also work to improve road safety for bikers and all other road users. 

Their website can be found by following this link: - thenabd.org.uk

If you can, please donate. Give whatever you’re able, and give it with kindness and love in your heart — because in the end, that’s all that really matters in this world.
Thank you.
— Jacob