'My artificial pancreas makes running ultra-marathons much easier'

"I just love ultra-running. It's a really good way for me to get out and explore the world, to think about things, make peace with it and find some quiet."

Jonty Brown clearly loves running. He regularly competes in ultra-marathons and he says that thanks to new technology which he has been pioneering as a user, the fact he is also a type 1 diabetic has not got in the way of him pursuing his passion.

The 35-year-old, originally from Harrogate, was first diagnosed with the condition when he was 12 and he vividly remembers that initially he found it incredibly hard to control his blood sugar levels.

"When I was diagnosed, it was the first thing that went through my mind: that I was going to have to inject myself multiple times a day," he recalls.

"I was on 10 to 15 finger pricks and five or six injections. I actually had a phobia of needles, so it wasn't a good start."

However, with what he describes as "amazing support" from hospital staff in Harrogate and from his family, he did learn to manage his diabetes, though he says he found it easier when he was later given an insulin pump and a blood glucose monitor.

Then, two years ago, Jonty became one of the first people in the UK to receive what is known technically as a hybrid closed loop system, but which is more commonly referred to as an artificial pancreas.

He explains: "I have a blood glucose monitor which goes on the back of my arm that continuously checks what my blood sugar levels are.

"Then, on the back side of my leg I put my insulin pump."

The two devices connect and "talk to each other" through a computer programme or app, he says.

"It will try and regulate it for me."

Jonty says the technology, which is now being rolled out to more adults and children with type 1 diabetes, has "absolutely" changed his life.

"One of the hardest things is during the night, when you are naturally going up and down, it now controls it for you and keeps you in range - which is a huge weight off my shoulders."

Jonty says that using this new technology has come as a big relief, not least because, as a teenager, he had suffered from anxiety and depression, some of which he says was due to his diabetes.

"Waking up in the morning and not knowing what level you are - you could start really low or really high - it's just a horrible way to start the day," he says.

"It brings on that natural anxiety, which I don't have now because of the monitor. It's made it a lot easier to live with."

Jonty explains that he began running during the Covid pandemic and became "widely addicted".

"It was a nice way to get out and move, and 18 months later I became the first type 1 diabetic to run across the UK," he says.

He has since moved to London and has opened a running shop - and smilingly admits that running has taken over his "whole personality".

"I just ran from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, so I ran a 500km ultra-marathon race," he says.

"I came fourth, but I became the first type 1 diabetic to do so."

Jonty says using the new technology has helped him to pursue what would otherwise be a tough challenge.

"It's made it a lot easier with the pump again while running. Having to stop and check or give yourself insulin would make it really hard," he says.

"But luckily, because it's in my pocket, I can have a look at the screen, press a couple of button and keep moving. It's made a lot easier these days."

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