Phil, principal dentist at the Philip Sommereux practice in Leigh Road, raised money for dental charity Dentaid. Dentaid provides equipment, training and oral health services to hospitals, clinics and dentists in the developing world.
Phil admits to being fiercely competitive, and entered the race because his friend Roger Smith was also doing it.
“I thought, if he can do it, so can I,” said Phil. “I started going to the gym three times a week and also running twice a week. I was determined to do it in a decent time and to raise lots of money for the charity. The first six miles went really well and the home run was good, but it was hard in the middle. I’m not used to running ten miles so I felt the difference from ten kilometres. It felt great though and I was really excited to be taking part. In the end, Roger’s calf muscles went so he had to walk the last mile. I beat him, but it wasn’t a fair fight, so we’ll have to have a re-run later.”
Phil, whose surname derives from his French grandparents, who lived in the Beauvais region of northern France, has done 10km runs before. He also did two long-distance charity runs from Bangkok to Saigon for the NSPCC, though that was several years ago. After his success in the Great South Run, Phil is setting his sights higher.
“I’m thinking about trying the London Marathon next, but we’ll see. I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who sponsored me and to all my staff and patients for their support.”
The Philip Sommereux dental practice aims to provide high quality dentistry and brilliant results for all its patients, in everything it does. Phil is a specialist in cosmetic dentistry, implantology, gum health and sedation.