A group of 16 Jersey islanders have come together to run the 2023 London Marathon and raise vital funds for research into cancer.
The group have set themselves an ambitious target of raising ‘£100K for CRUK’ (Cancer Research UK) ahead of the 26.2 miles they will each run in April next year.
Most of us will be affected by cancer at some point in our lives and each runner has their own personal story and motivations for running.
Tim Townsend, a member of the volunteer group of runners said: “In October 2021, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is currently receiving ongoing treatment which includes the trial of some ground-breaking new therapies, only made possible and accessible to our family (and many others) through research undertaken by CRUK. Knowing that £100K could fund a statistician, a lab technician, and a research nurse on one of CRUK’s clinical trials for a whole year makes the upcoming London marathon experience even more special to me.
“Our young family can enjoy many more years with their Mum and see Dad cross the line with a big smile on his face as this special run is a tribute to Desiré for fighting hard and to all of those at CRUK who enabled and continue to pioneer cutting edge treatments to fight cancer.”
The Jersey £100KforCRUK team are getting creative with fundraising ideas and initiatives that will pepper the calendar as we approach April 2023. Currently, these include:
- A 12-hour treadmill challenge in King Street
- A detox-buster DJ night
- A large-scale raffle and prize draw.
Richard Hughes, Chair of the CRUK Jersey committee and London Marathon 2023 runner, added: “CRUK Jersey is proud to have recruited this group of passionate runners, each with their own personal story and challenges to overcome ahead of the marathon. We welcome anyone with a London marathon ballot place to join the Jersey £100kforCRUK group and take part in our fundraising activities. Having a team that you’ve trained and fundraised with can make all the difference to your spirits on the big day.”
Richard added, “Most of us will be affected by cancer at some point in our lives, due to state-of-the-art research; detection, treatment and survival rates are improving. In the 1970s, just 1 in 4 people survived their cancer diagnosis for 10 years or more. Today, with the help of research, now 2 in 4 survive. But despite this incredible progress, there’s still so much more we need to do. Sadly, too many people die prematurely from cancer.
“The public can support our runners by donating to our official fundraising page, or if businesses would like to get involved, we would encourage them to initiate their own fundraising activities.”
All funds raised from the Jersey £100KforCRUK fundraising challenge will go directly to CRUK’s Southampton Centre, the closest cancer research facility to Jersey and Guernsey and the place many Jersey cancer patients travel to receive treatment. Researchers at the Centre are experts in a wide range of disciplines, including immunotherapy and clinical trials.
For more information, or to donate, please visit the Jersey100kforCRUK fundraising page.
