Mum tackles run in memory of son's murdered friend

Katie Treutler is running the Great North Run in aid of the Joe Dix Foundation

A woman has come out of running retirement to tackle a half-marathon this weekend in memory of her son's murdered friend.

Joe Dix was 18 when he was killed during the aftermath of a drugs and cash burglary in Mile Cross, Norwich, in January 2022.

Katie Treutler's son Tommy played football from the age of four to 13 with Mr Dix, whose violent death shocked his former team and sent "reverberations across a lot of kids of that age group", she said.

Ms Treutler, a nurse, wants to fund at least 10 bleed kits for the Joe Dix Foundation, set up by his parents Emma and Phil, by running Sunday's Great North Run.

Joe Dix (left) played in the same football team as Ms Treutler's son Tommy (right), pictured with team mate Louis Simmons (centre)

Joe and Tommy began playing together at Mini Kickers, for very young children, before moving on to Norwich Corinthians, based at Sprowston Cricket Club.

"My son and the team were really shocked to hear about his murder; Norwich is a small place," said Ms Treutler.

"When Emma and Phil set up the foundation, my husband Pete and I wanted to be involved as much as we could."

Ms Treutler, who is in her 50s, had not run for about 10 years or done anything approaching a half-marathon before signing up for the 13.1-mile (21km) race, from Newcastle to South Shields.

After winning a place, she began training in March and has "just cracked on with it."

"My son said, 'Mum, if you are going to run you have got to enter an event - if you don't, you won't train,' so here I am," she added.

Joe Dix was exploited by a criminal gang, his parents said

Mr and Mrs Dix are funding bleed kits in public areas around Norfolk via their foundation.

It aims to promote awareness about criminal exploitation, knife crime and gang culture among parents and young people, and prevent other families going through what they have experienced.

Mr Dix had gone to help a concerned friend at a known crack den in Vale Green, in the Mile Cross area of the city, before he was chased through a housing estate and stabbed seven times.

Speaking after the trial, his parents said he had been lured into dealing drugs by the money and led a double life.

Benjamin Gil, Cameron Palmer, then both 19, and Hans Beeharry, then 20, were jailed for life for Mr Dix's murder in October 2023.