Joe 'the Strong Link Driver' Woodley says:
• Introduced to Dave Reading (DR) by Neil Featherby (NF) whilst visiting SportLink.
• Accepted opportunity to provide vehicle support role for the next day on behalf of SportLink.
• Provided vehicle support role on team training runs;
1. SportLink to SportLink (Halesworth to Taverham) – Struggled to complete as a walk/run. Witnessed DR raging before & during this event but I did not think anything of it. I was there to do a job on behalf of SportLink not get involved in his issues.
2. Peddars Way & North Norfolk Costal Path – Failed after DR & MH got lost on the northern part of Peddars Way and missing the Rendezvous Point by 6 miles. Once recovered the run was terminated and DR was driven home.
3. Norwich to London - Failed after travelling at least 50+ miles (30 in one day) in the support vehicle (6 berth camper from Capricorn Campers). Not prepared to run/walk on A roads from Mildenhall to Newmarket. This occurred again on other occasions to hop between towns and villages enroute to London (these were identified by DR & MH as the best locations to collect money and raise DR’s profile). DR lied on all Facebook Live feeds & posts claiming that he had continuously run/walked the distance. DR reported that First Self Drive were wondering where their van was as it had not shown in any photos / live feeds. This van was parked up outside the Reading address in Hockering.
4. Hockering to Cromer – Failed after getting in Support vehicle at Alby Horse Shoes Inn (A140) and travelling to Cromer cliff top café on Runton Road. Once actually shouting at me telling me (after he decided to take a different route to what I was given by him – I back tracked as I had not seen them) “If this was for real the world record would be f*cked, gone! I can’t afford any mistakes! Don’t take it personally just learn from it. Now get back in the van and travel 4 miles, 4 f*cking miles! If you can’t do this I’ve got 11 days to find someone that can!†I just let this slide as DR was in a threatening and unpredictable rage and I was holding back from having an anxiety attack. Having travelled the 4 miles and no sign of them again, I contacted Terrie Reading (TR) and MH to find that they had taken the wrong route. Again DR was in a threatening and unpredictable rage and wanted to terminate the run just short of Aylsham. DR was eventually convinced that the correct road to Cromer was no more than 200 yards away. DR then gradually made his way to the final RV at Alby Horse Shoes Inn, where he got in the van and told me to drive to Cromer. Before I could question this DR said “It’s only a training run it doesn’t matter and no one is ever going to know. I’ve had enough, let’s go get an ice cream!†At Cromer during the Facebook Live feed DR lied that the idea to run to Cromer was my idea, I only joked during a team FB chat that I wanted an ice cream due to the expected warm weather.
5. The recce of the route – First Self Drive provided a vehicle which was lent free of charge to DR. Myself, DR, MH and GR drove down to Lands End to check over the route which was to be followed to John O’Groats. The route was taken from the former female record holder Sharon Gaytor’s maps and updated by DR, GR and MH. The roadworks on the A30 were in place, including the ‘No Cycling’ signs.
• After the Peddars Way event – A team meeting was called at the Reading address. DR announced that the LeJog challenge will now be an Official World Record attempt. I was baffled and taken away by this news but I was already taken in by what was going on. Around the same time we were informed that the challenge was now predominately an official Walking With The Wounded (WWTW) event. It was also then that DR announced that we would only be using the van from First Self Drive and roughing it on the challenge. DR claimed that it was down to conflicts of sponsorship as to why Capricorn Campers had withdrawn. The subject was very quickly changed to Sir Bradley Wiggins taking a keen interest in GR’s involvement and lending his support, possibly even turning out and joining a section of the route. Coupled with Sir Mo Farah and Sharon Gaytor reportedly doing the same along the way.
• Extremely quickly, DR & TR were obtaining substantial sponsorship from local businesses. This included a £5000 donation from Matressman, who also provided DR & TR with a fuel card for the challenge. Plus there were other perks for themselves and team/family members. Although offered by TR, I have not ever received any such perks as I don’t have the need/want for them.
• Sunday 5th March – Attended fundraising event at a Dunerunner event ‘The Nelson Knee-Knobbler’ at the Wells Beach Café, with DR, MH, GR & Chloe Reading (CHR). MH was the official photographer for Dunerunner, so was not at the event for DR. DR was driving a beach buggy during the event so I was left to look after GR & CHR and the stall for the majority.
• TR notified me that we would be going on the BBC One Show in March and possibly other TV & radio programmes before the challenge.
• A school assembly was arranged for DR to talk to the children of Taverham High School. Despite being asked, DR hogged all of the exposure and failed to introduce me, MH and TR (GR was not present). The only person introduced was Duncan Slater (WWTW) who also spoke to the children. The school took receipt of collection boxes which were placed around the school buildings. Two of the Reading children, Charlie (CR) & CHR attend this school.
• Attended (my one and only training session with DR) one spin class at Nuffield Health Fitness & Wellbeing Gym, with DR before Hockering to Cromer session. DR is recorded by MH falsely stating that I had been training with him. I was told to just go along with this as no one will know the truth and what does it matter.
• Participated in the BBC Look East interview in Hockering – The last time I saw DR jog/run.
• Attended fundraising event at Morrison’s Riverside with DR, TR, GR, CR & MH. DR would disappear with TR & MH for periods and return looking mischievous or on his phone.
• DR phoned me on Monday 3rd April, stating that MH was not joining the LeJog Challenge. DR stated that MH was seriously affected by alleged cyber trolls & haters. So much so that MH was going to hurt himself in some way. DR also insinuated that MH had a dark secret which none of us know about. Told to turn up at DR’s home address as planned the following morning.
• Tuesday 4th April – Whilst at DR’s address DR disappears to contact MH. DR returns stating that he had to sternly tell MH to join us. DR told HM not to bring any cameras with him.
• After checking social media, DR goes into a rage after reading a comment that “he is a fake/fraud to think he can complete the LeJog challenge†amongst other things. DR disappears again to allegedly contact someone who could find out who this person is. DR returns to say he’s spoken to one of his contacts who found this person lived in California, USA. DR makes a claim in front of me and TR that this person will be paid a visit and taken down. This encouraged DR to state that “this is no longer going to be a WR attempt, but we will still go out and show these people I can do it..f*ck ‘em, f*ck the lot of ‘em!â€
• On route to Penzance we drove to First Self Drive to have some Matressman decals replaced on the van. All of what had occurred at the Readings was repeated by DR to Jonathan Howes (JH) & Jonathan Mills (JM). JH & JM were already aware of what had been shared on social media and the Lets Run forums, they were enraged and confused. Looking back DR played a blinder in how he milked the whole situation.
• During our stay at the Penzance Youth Hostel, DR had a telephone interview with Felicity Cross of the Daily Star Newspaper. During this DR lied about his London marathon time (the time changed for the 3rd time), the previous training runs he had not completed and that NF had been training him throughout. I looked at him when he said these to question why he was lying again. The look I received from DR was engaged by me as a warning not to push this issue. I started to become concerned but I was there to do a job for WWTW and challenge myself along the way. We were also joined by the first of our WWTW support drivers, who I will keep out of this as they were total innocents.
• DR was becoming more & more obsessed with checking social media and contacting TR (possibly others) at any given moment. He was becoming agitated and visibly angry (suppressed) every time he checked it. DR refused to stop/cut this down as he ‘needed to do it’.
• From the moment DR began through to termination, DR did not run/jog once. DR preferred to use Tactical Advance to Battle (TAB) a fast paced walk used by the military. When it got too much DR got on a pedal cycle. The electric-cycle was binned (kept in the support van) at the end of the first section of the first day. The handle bars had worked loose and could not be fixed. MH was the only person to have used this. MH reverted to using his pedal cycle.
• Day 1 – Very stressful as DR was trying to get as far along the A30 as quickly as possible. This coupled with his phone/media obsession has was snapping at anyone of us given the chance – All smiles and chatty to members of the public and the support drivers. Slept in a layby on A30.
• Day 2 – Woke to DR looking at a map and declaring “I’m not going to carry on going along the A30 it’s too dangerous and it’s only about 13 miles until the A38 turn off. I can carry on that way and you guys can go and get some more signatures and fundraise. Plus cyclists can’t go along this next bitâ€. I did offer to walk with DR to get through the next section(s) but he point-blank refused, wouldn’t discuss it. I was miffed by this as what was the point of doing the recce? A detour of an additional 30+ miles over terrain he had no training of to me was just stupid. This is when I began to get concerned with what was going on. But along we travelled, DR’s feet became badly blistered to point that I arranged for his to see a pharmacist and get treated. At this point we should have rested up for the night but DR wanted to press on through the pain (wanting to be the hero?). We were also joined by our second support driver. During one of the times we were waiting for DR & MH to catch up, I called my wife to see how she was. This is when the reality really hit home that this whole thing was wrong and it had to stop. My wife was concerned for own safety as well as mine, as she had been threatened online. This was on top of some of the things being said on social media & the LR forum, things which people would only know if they had seen it or been told. I confronted DR & MH to say “I need to get out of here asap. My wife has been threatened and she is in pieces. You can carry on but not meâ€. DR instantly said “No, we’re all going home. There’s no point in carrying on nowâ€. Everything started to get on top of me, resulting in me taking additional medication to curb an anxiety attack. DR made calls to TR plus others to report the termination and to get the Facebook / website pages taken down. Our second driver then proceeded to take us to a service station in Exeter. From there we made our way back to Norfolk….DR drove the first part as I was in no fit state (his feet couldn’t have been too bad after a little rest?). I did take over the driving at approx. 23:00hrs but had to stop due to tiredness. On being woken up by DR in a rant at 02:30hrs (because I stopped to sleep) I carried on driving through to Norfolk whilst everyone slept.
• I dropped DR & GR off at Hockering and then took MH into Norwich.
• Myself and MH had a really good chat about everything (which we should have already done) and put the world to rights. Both of us agreed that we were not going to have any involvement with DR and co again.
• I have completely cut off all ties with the Readings. Had I had known the details I know now about this corrupt family, I would not have gone anywhere near this….if only I could turn back the clock.
