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Alex Smith warms up for charity river race

Reuters’ financial industry editor Alex Smith (photo) gets into shape for the Great River Race, 21 miles of rowing on the Thames from London’s Docklands to Richmond to raise money for charity.

Smith and four fellow oarsmen in Team GoBenny will be rowing in the 15 September event for the SMA Trust which is dedicated to finding a cure for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The start of the annual race, which attracts more than 300 crews from around the world, is not far from Thomson Reuters’ main London office.

SMA is a devastating genetic disease. It is a leading genetic killer of infants and toddlers, with 50 per cent of the most severely diagnosed cases resulting in death by the age of two. Children with a less severe form of SMA face the prospect of progressive muscle wasting, loss of mobility and motor function. But their minds are unaffected resulting in bright, intelligent children with varying degrees of physical impairment.

Ben Knight, 14, who has SMA, will be leaving his wheelchair on the riverbank to steer and encourage his crew up the Thames in one of the more stable (and therefore slower) boats taking part in this annual race. “The row should take us about four hours,” Smith says. “Last year we completed the Athens marathon with Ben in his wheelchair in 5 hours and 30 minutes. Now some of the same team are aiming to do as well rowing in the Admiralty Sailing Craft class.”

Anyone who wishes to sponsor Smith and his fellow crew can do so at Just Giving.

PHOTO: Alex Smith, in SMA Trust t-shirt and with the charity’s flag that will fly from the stern of his boat, trains on a rowing machine. ■