Liverpool’s Daniel Daley set to make Marathon history with Down Syndrome relay team

Daniel Daley, 29 from Woolton, Liverpool, is preparing to take part in a marathon relay to raise money and awareness for Down Syndrome Swimming GB (DSSGB).

A volunteer-led charity which enables children, young adults and adults with T21 or Mosaic Down Syndrome to reach their potential as elite swimmers. 

Daniel, who has Down Syndrome, is yet to run more than 7km and, as a two-time British and European Down Syndrome Swimming Championships bronze medalist, is known more for his exploits in the water than on the land. But he will take part in the adidas Manchester Marathon Relay on Sunday 27^th April hoping to achieve a 10.5km personal best. 

He will be participating in the relay with three fellow DSSGB teammates who will each attempt a quarter marathon. They have been encouraged by one of their mums, a member of the running club These Girls Can Run, taking on the event alongside 36,000 people. 

The sportsman – who plays football in addition to swimming and running – is aiming to raise money alongside his DSSGB teammates to help fund their training, while raising awareness of people with Down Syndrome. 

Daniel trains and competes with DSSGB and has competed in multiple Down Syndrome World and European Championships – but the squad relies on donations and fundraising to support with training and competitions. This fundraiser is for their first international training camp in Spain in May, which will provide Daniel and his teammates with an incredible opportunity to train as an elite swimmer. 

Daniel sees his participation in the adidas Manchester Marathon as a great opportunity to raise awareness about Down Syndrome and participation in sport. He describes himself as being very proud to take part alongside his DSSGB teammates and to let everyone see what great sports people they are. 

This is especially important to Daniel due to some of the barriers he has faced as a Down Syndrome sportsman. Not only do people with Down Syndrome have learning disabilities, they also have physical disabilities which makes training and competing in mainstream events challenging. 

These challenges underline the importance of DSSGB, which allows Daniel to train and compete in a fair, high performance environment, with coaches who understand the difficulties swimmers with Down Syndrome face and an environment in which friendships are formed and opportunities to compete in national and international competitions are provided.  

Despite Daniel’s active lifestyle, training for his first marathon event hasn’t been plain sailing, with an all-new distance and the risk of sporting injuries to navigate. 

After injuring his foot playing football last October, Daniel had to pause running for 12 weeks, with light gym work and swimming helping to keep him fit.  

Now Daniel has resumed, he is working hard to get used to the 10.5km distance and, being a competitive sportsman, is targeting a personal best.  

While Daniel’s home city of Liverpool shares a fierce sporting rivalry with Manchester, Daniel is looking forward to embracing the city and the people of Greater Manchester – 125,000 of whom are expected to line its streets in support of those taking part in the event. 

He is especially excited about being part of a big crowd, which he loves, and the opportunity to raise awareness of Down Syndrome at such a high-profile event.  

His Mum, Dad and some friends will be there watching him on the day, along with lots of other people who will be supporting all the DSSGB participants. 

Daniel’s mother, Francesca, said:

“We are extremely proud of all Daniel’s achievements. He loves keeping fit and we are excited that he can test his new enjoyment of running in the adidas Manchester Marathon Relay.” 

Daniel has no plans to take a rest following his participation in the event. Preparations will soon begin for DSSGB’s first international training camp, and Daniel intends to carry on running as it helps with his fitness for swimming. He wants to do regular park runs and is hoping to be selected by DSSGB for the European Championships later this year. 

And to those who are not necessarily pursuing a place at an elite sports competition, Daniel’s advice is simple: “Go for it, enjoy it and be proud of your achievements.” 

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