We are running to raise money for York Hospital’s Cancer Care Centre who provide information and support for anyone affected by cancer. 

The CCC was a huge support to Ali’s sister, Rachel who sadly in November lost her brave two and a half year battle with cancer at the age of 31.

In memory of Rachel, a talented athlete and in recognition of her incredibly long and brave fight, we will be running the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon to raise money for the CCC, a place where Rachel spent much time and received fantastic support. We have set ourselves the challenge of finishing in an aggregated time of under 9 hours (i.e. a sub 3 hour marathon per person on average).

All three of us have a sporting background, with Nick and Chris both representing Scotland as juniors at Swimming, and later this autumn Chris will be competing in Hawaii at the world Ironman age group championships. 

Going into this race, Ali has only ever run one marathon with a PB of 3:20. Nick has also only run one marathon with a PB of 3:31 and Chris’s best marathon came at one of his Ironman races with a PB of 3:40. This will indeed be a serious challenge for us all!

All money raised will go directly to the CCC. Whilst the CCC offers a range of services (including an information service, complimentary therapies, hair loss support, counselling and financial guidance), we are hoping to fund a specific project in Rachel’s memory to develop a more inclusive and supportive hair-loss service. This will involve making one of their existing therapy rooms solely for this purpose. The project will include painting walls, buying pretty mirrors and dressing tables, luxury seating, display stands for wigs and improved lighting. For anyone going through chemotherapy, hair loss is a daunting prospect. Rachel found this service provided by the CCC helpful in coping with this part of the process and dedicating a room solely for this purpose will greatly help many others in the future. 

http://www.yorkhospitals.nhs.uk/our_services/az_of_services/cancer_services/cancer_care_centre/

We are looking forward to the challenge but we will definitely need your support. So please give what you can - this could be in the form of a training partner, support on the day or even better a good old fashioned donation to a great cause. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Rachel’s Fight

Rachel first fell ill in spring 2011, just a month before she got married. Initially she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, which she bravely battled successfully with numerous rounds of chemotherapy over eight months. 

Just as Rachel began to rebuild her life with her new husband Mike, she was diagnosed with another form of cancer, acute lymphoblastomic leukaemia. Again, Rachel successfully beat the cancer which for those who know Rachel is a true reflection of her character - determined, stubborn and brave.  

Unfortunately, just as Rachel and Mike for the second time began to rebuild their lives, a routine check up showed the cancer had returned as acute myeloid leukaemia. Rachel again took the fight to cancer, however in October last year learned the treatment was not working and the doctors could do no more. 

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