A friendship group spanning the country has organised a relay race from Manchester to London to fundraise for Maggie’s cancer charity in May.
From the 10th-11th May, the 48-hour fundraiser for Maggie’s will involve Northerners and Southerners racing from the charity’s centre in Manchester to Buckingham Palace.
After running the equivalent of a half-marathon each, the teams will compete in a football match and darts night at BarKick in Shoreditch.
Matt Southworth, one of the organisers, said: “The race aspect creates more of a challenge and hopefully will encourage more people to donate.”
“We have a broad range of people that’s very inclusive of everyone and there is no barrier to entry.”
A member of the university friendship group, Andy McAslan, was diagnosed in 2021 with an incurable blood cancer and has received support from Maggie’s throughout his treatment.
McAslan said: “Maggie’s kept our heads above the water when we’ve felt as though we were drowning.”
Maggie’s charity offers psychological and emotional support to cancer patients and their families.
Last year the group of friends, who met at Bath University, raised over £20,000 for Maggie’s Yorkshire.
Southworth said: “Maggie’s is a safe space for families dealing with cancer to go and escape from the world.
“It’s a big charity but we can see where the money is going straight away.”
A sense of friendship and community is central to the fundraiser; the grassroots event involves 37 runners of different abilities.
Southworth said: “Each section uses different running paths and routes which we will be following the whole way down.
“There will definitely be an element of winging it on the day.”
Runners will pass through Manchester, Derby, Leicester, Northampton, and Watford before arriving in London.
From here the overnight racers will compete in a football match and battle it out at the darts oche before announcing the ultimate winner.
Tickets to the darts night are £10 and include two raffle entries.
You can support the event by donating here.
Photo by lucas Favre on Unsplash
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