This November, we’re taking on the Sevilla Half Marathon with a very personal purpose. Sean Collado, Jerai Torres and Gyan Chappory are running in honour of our former coach and friend, Avelino Baldachino, who is currently battling pancreatic cancer. Avelino spent many years pushing us to become better athletes and better people on and off the track to the point that we consider him family. He taught us that when things get difficult, you keep going, you stay resilient and you never give up. Now, those are the very lessons we want to carry with us as we run for him.

The challenge takes place during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, giving us the opportunity to raise awareness of a cancer that remains one of the most aggressive, often diagnosed late and with limited treatment options. This cause is particularly close to Avelino’s family as his brother Louis was also diagnosed in 2015 with pancreatic cancer and is a 11 year survivor and was fortunate enough to overcome it through a clinical trial. His story is a powerful example of how the belief, strength, courage and determination to fight, and also how research, medical innovation and access to new treatments can change lives. Louis founded Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Gibraltar charity in 2018 to raise awareness to the community and to medical professionals. His personal motto, and also the charity’s, is to “Never Lose Hope”.

As former sprinters, endurance has never been our thing but to make the challenge even more demanding, we’ve each set ourselves a target:

🏃 Sean — Sub 1:40

🏃 Jerai — Sub 1:50

🏃 Gyan — Sub 2:00

We’re asking you to support us by sponsoring our challenge. Every donation, no matter the size, will help us raise vital awareness and support the fight against pancreatic cancer.

Together, we can turn the strength and inspiration Avelino gave us into hope for him and others. 💜

Sean, Jerai and Gyan.