As many of you will be aware, my father passed away in May 2022 following a long battle with Prostate Cancer, and in his latter years with Parkinson’s Disease. As such, in his memory, I have decided to take on a marathon running challenge in 2023 to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.

I have already signed up for 5 Marathons in 2023, specifically the Rome Marathon (19 March), Manchester Marathon (16 April), Leeds (Rob Burrow) Marathon (14 May), Yorkshire Marathon (15 October) and the Florence Marathon (26 November), and the plan is to try and squeeze one more marathon in amongst those dates! Any ideas or suggestions for locations are welcome…!

The cause is obviously close to my heart, given my father’s recent death from the illness, but also because my maternal grandfather died from Prostate Cancer in 1998. Many of you will be aware of my previous fundraising efforts for Prostate Cancer UK, specifically in 2019 when I ran 5 marathons raising around £3,000. I would love to be able to raise a similar amount again in 2023 to support the fantastic work undertaken by such a great charity.

I know times are currently hard, and the cost of living is putting a squeeze on everyone’s finances, but any contributions or donations that you can spare would be gratefully received.

If you would like to know more about prostate cancer, I have set out below some of the very basic facts and figures about prostate cancer across the UK:

1. Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men.

2. On average, more than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. That equates to 143 men each day.

3. Every 45 minutes, one man will die from prostate cancer. That’s 12,000 men each year.

4. 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.

5. If you’re over 50, or you’re black, or your Dad or Brother had it, you’re at an even higher risk.

Keep an eye for regular updates about my challenge and training  on this site, or on my Instagram page @theyorkrunner and running blog at Why I Run – A blog about why I run, hoping to inspire others to don their trainers and providing updates on my latest running escapades and runs. (home.blog).