My wife Kim sadly passed away in May 2024 after a two-year battle with bowel cancer. Our lives were changed forever the day she was diagnosed in April 2022. Those years have left a permanent scar and imprint on my heart. Cancer is always something you associate as happening to others. As much as you try to imagine it and emphasize with those going through it, you cannot really know until faced with it.

Running the London Marathon for Bowel Cancer UK is a commitment I made to Kim in the days leading up to her death. It is hard to put to words just how important it is to be fundraising for Bowel Cancer UK. The charity is dear to my heart and is the only thing that makes sense to me right now. This mission was as important to Kim as it is for me.

Bowel Cancer UK is the leading bowel cancer charity. They fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.The mission of the charity is simply to stop people dying of bowel cancer.

It is the work the charity does, that gives hope to sufferers so that when people receive the dreaded diagnosis, it does not necessarily have to mean a life limiting illness. Equally, through the education and preventative work the charity does, people may recognize symptoms earlier and generally be more proactive about their health.

Asking for donations isn't something that comes natural to me particularly given the ongoing cost of living challenges. Any donation would be making a difference. Even if you are only able to spare £1, as a collective we would making a huge difference. I only intend to run the marathon once. My dream is to pull together as a collective and do something that can really count.

When I think about what is involved in getting over the finish line of the London Marathon, I only need to remind myself of what my dear wife endured during the two years of her illness. How stoic she remained in the face of such terrible adversity and how she was still doing her best to offer hope and inspiration to others right until the end. With the support of Bowel Cancer UK and the strong support network of friends and family around me, I believe I have all I could ask for to meet and surpass the challenges that lay ahead of me.

About Bowel Cancer:

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK

Every 15 minutes someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer. That’s nearly 43,000 people every year, nearly 120 people every day

The earlier bowel cancer is detected, the greater the chance of surviving

Every 30 minutes someone dies from bowel cancer

Around 268,000 people living in the UK today have been diagnosed with bowel cancer

Sadly, fewer than four in 10 people are diagnosed at the early stages (stage 1 and 2).