7 friends…100 marathons… 365 days.

What started as a bit of foolish banter between 2 mates on a Sunday morning run has evolved into an obsession for a group of Yaxley Runners (Gary Masters, John Ackroyd, Ian Vallance, Gavin Farrow, Kevin Peel and Matt Lauch) and one Werrington Jogger (Martin Stevens).

The original idea was for the two mates to attempt to complete 14 marathons in 2014 (over 366 miles!), but once word got round, and testosterone and bravado took hold, there were soon 7 of us.

The original concept was just to see how we would fare, but in 2013 we were all deeply saddened to hear that a friend from the running club had received some devastating news. Her husband had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Despite a very brave fight, he tragically lost that battle at the end of March 2014, and all of the teams’ thoughts are with his young family.

With this in mind, we thought that the very least we could do was turn our crazy idea into something much more worthwhile. As the idea gathered momentum, we soon realised that if each of us ran 14 marathons that would equal 98, so we decided to round it up, and attempt to run 100 between us!

So there you have it: 7 friends, 100 marathons, 365 days. We’ve also collected a few additional runners who are running some major marathons this year, and they have also decided to join the fundraising, so we are very fortunate. We’re already off the mark, and all we need now is for you good people to make a generous donation.

We think we’re doing the easy bit, by the way! Pancreatic Cancer is the least understood and because of this, it has the lowest survival rate. The more research that takes place, the earlier it can be detected, the more people will beat it. Quite simply, the more research, the more survivors. This fantastic charity would benefit greatly from your donations, big or small.

We have set a target of £10,000 between us for the year, but to be honest, why would we stop there? Please note that every penny raised will go directly to the charity, as we are funding all race entries, travel, etc. ourselves.

On behalf of the team, our sincere thanks.