In the autumn of 2014 my Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer, I would add more details about the disease but it's all a bit of a blur in my mind so I couldn't really tell you. She was very stoic and protective of me and my brothers and I didn't really ask many questions - so the details are quite hazy along the way. I just remember thinking 'that's one of the better ones' after she called to tell me on my lunch break of my new job. Unfortunately after almost 4 years of chemo and radiotherapy, along with all the alternative methods and that my step-dad, Nathan, had researched - it turned out not to be one of the better ones.

Since her and then Nathan passing away, running has been a way for me to process what grief means. In dark times it has been a large part what has got me out of the hole, and when nothing else can change my mood I usually run every day until I feel better, and it works. When I was little, the three of us used to live in Blackheath right next to Greenwich park where the Marathon starts. The week before we'd see the railings go up along side the road and then on the Sunday we'd go and watch the race. So in 2025 I will run the marathon in the memory of both of them raising money for a worthwhile charity that my Mum and Nathan both would have believed in.

The charity I have chosen is World Cancer Research Fund whose ethos of looking in to the prevention of cancer through diet, nutrition and physical health as well as education feels like the perfect charity for what my Mum believed in. After the trauma that she went through of having chemo and radiotherapy it would be great to stop people having to get to that point. Every day around 1,100 people are told ‘you have cancer’ and over 420 of these cases could have been prevented, which equates to 155,000 people every year.

I hope you agree with me that this is a worthy cause to donate to and thank you for any support that you give!

Jack x