Hey everyone,

On 10th November, Ross and I are running the Run Tatton Half Marathon to raise money for The Christie.

Following in the footsteps of the more-athletic Hayes sibling, James, who has raised nearly £3000 for The Christie Charity, we decided it was our turn to lace up our trainers. No more eating crunchies on the sidelines for us 🍫

Everyone who knows me well knows I’m not a seasoned ‘runner’. I enjoy an occasional park run, play netball, and the furthest I’ve ever ran is 10k (which I’ve only ever done twice). I’ve also spent the past 4 years battling a chronically dodgy back, re-occurring shin splints, and various other frustrating injuries. So given all this, it’s fair to say I’m not going to be fast, and the half marathon will probably be an exceptionally difficult, painful experience (read: it’s gonna be pretty tough). But despite all this we’re still going to be running this half marathon (slowly and likely with some walking thrown in there too), because receiving a cancer diagnosis in the family is even more tough, and taking part in this half marathon means we can raise money for The Christie Charity, who do such amazing work for cancer patients and their families.

We’re doing this because my Dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer in 2017. He underwent over 80 chemotherapy treatments and also took part in a number of trials as part of The Christie’s research. It is thanks to The Christie and all their fantastic work that Dad got to spend the next 4 years with us; being present for numerous key family milestones including seeing me and Ross get engaged.

On 26th July 2021, just 2 weeks after we got engaged, my Dad sadly passed away.

So, Ross and I have joined Team Christie for the Run Tatton half marathon to personally say thank you for everything that The Christie did for my Dad, and for us as a family.

It is thanks to the generous donations that The Christie receive that they can continue to support other families, just like they supported us, so if you are able to donate then this is much appreciated, no matter how small.

Thanks for reading if you got this far, and much love

Emily xxx