Team North West Cancer Research Take on London Marathon 2023

Kevin White from Liverpool took on the event for the first time and decided to add a challenging twist - completing an additional cycling challenge on his way to the capital.

Kevin, who smashed his fundraising target of £2,000 and raised a staggering £7,280, cycled from his home in Liverpool to London, before donning a 40lb backpack to run the London Marathon course.

The cycle to the capital, which took three days, included two overnight stops in Shawbury and Cirencester to recuperate after tackling at least 100 miles each day. Kevin’s route saw him set off in Liverpool and pass-through locations including Northwich, Shrewsbury and the Cotswolds before he took to the streets of London for one of the world’s biggest marathons.

Kevin said: “I’m so grateful for the support that’s flooded in from friends, family and co-workers. It’s brilliant to be able to raise so much for such a vital cause and help make a difference to the future of cancer in our region. We recently lost a close family member to lung cancer and felt really supported by the cancer care system throughout, so it means a lot to me and my family to be able to give back.”

Another runner taking on the Marathon
for the first time was Paul Jones from Wallasey, who was inspired by his dad’s battle with cancer.

Paul’s dad, Keith, was diagnosed with mesothelioma late last year and is currently receiving immunotherapy treatment in Liverpool. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the lining that covers the outer surface of some of the body’s organs. Support flooded in from friends, family and colleagues for Paul, who raised an amazing £2,500 as he kept his sponsors up to date with his training on Strava.

Mother and daughter duo, Corinne and Charlotte Jones took on the Marathon to raise money toward ovarian cancer projects after Corinne’s auntie was diagnosed with the disease in 2022. The pair took on the course side by side, raising over £4,500.

Runner Chris Hall was a familiar face to the London Marathon, as he took on the challenge for the 25th time after first taking part in 1989.

Chris, from Wrexham, was inspired to raise money for cancer research after his father passed away from throat cancer over 30 years ago, at a time when there was no treatment available.

Since 2004 he has taken on a range of fundraising challenges, driven by the promising advances made in cancer over the past three decades.

This year’s challenge has been no different, as Chris has raised £2,917, bringing his total raised over the years to a whopping £38,000.

If you would like to take on the London Marathon, please email [email protected] for more info.