|
Liverpool "Marathon Man" Gears
up for Kirby Milers 10 Mile Road Race
A Liverpool marathon fanatic is set to
complete his 11th competitive run at Knowsley Safari Park, on 8 October 2017, in a
bid to raise ₤5,000 for the AMMF, the UK's only charity dedicated to
cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer), a rare and frequently lethal liver
cancer.
For 'Marathon Man' Ben Francis, a Research Associate in the Department of
Biostatistics, at the University of Liverpool, the Kirkby Milers 10 mile road
race follows hard on the heels of an already packed monthly programme of
Marathons and Races around the UK and across Europe, including:- the Paris
Marathon, in April 2017, and the forthcoming Athens Marathon, that on 12 November
2017. The
mammoth series of races, which began in December 2016, has already seen
Ben run more than 295 km, and after the Athens Marathon, this will reach 353 km
in total.
Outlining his reasons for taking on the huge challenge, Ben explains that he
wants to raise awareness of cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the bile duct)
following the loss of his brother Nick, aged 33, after a very brief fight with
the disease in December 2014.
As Ben says:- "I never knew just what I had until I lost Nick in December
2014. Since then, through tough and happy times, I have vowed to keep him ever
present in my thoughts and actions. My decision to embark on a year of running
events; 1 each month; is a way of keeping Nick in my memory. As brothers, and in
our own different ways, both Nick and I never backed down from a challenge and I
felt this could be a special way of remembering him by keeping alive that shared
spirit of meeting a challenge. In so doing, I also hope to increase awareness of
cholangiocarcinoma and AMMF whilst also fundraising for the charity's vital
ongoing work. Completing each marathon or run is a defining moment and enables
me to look back and know what Nick's memory has pushed me to do. Just looking at
the mileage achieved in my races thus far, it is roughly the distance from where
I am in Liverpool to Chingford cemetery where Nick is buried. This was not
intentional but it's a very happy surprise when I've added the numbers!"
In response to the Ben's forthcoming race, Helen Morement, CEO and founder of
AMMF comments:- "We're totally bowled over by Ben's mammoth marathon
challenge and can't quite get our heads round what he has achieved already and
what he has planned. Ben's incredible support and his fundraising efforts go
towards helping AMMF in its work to tackle this devastating cancer on all
fronts, by providing information and support, campaigning to raise awareness and
encouraging and supporting research. Over recent years an enormous and extremely
worrying worldwide increase in cholangiocarcinoma's incidence has been noted.
Latest figures show there were 2,161 deaths caused by cholangiocarcinoma in 2013
in England alone (NCIN/Cancer52 report). The incidence appears to be increasing
across all age groups, including younger people, and the cause of this ongoing
increase is unknown. Much more research is desperately needed. Ben is helping to
make a difference and we wish him all the best."
|
