An army reservist has been jogging up and down the hills of Buckinghamshire with a 20-kilo backpack as he prepares for a run in memory of his friend who died from a rare cancer called synovial sarcoma.
Steve Walker, 42, from Chesham, is in training for the TCS London Marathon on 21 April, which he is running to raise funds for cancer charity Sarcoma UK. Steve’s friend of many years, Jason Narraway, died in 2019 at age 31 from synovial sarcoma – a very rare cancer which only occurs in 1 to 3 people per million. Steve is pictured, right, with Jason.
As an army reservist, Steve is used to wearing a Bergen and has decided to complete the 26-mile marathon course while wearing one containing 20 kilos. He said: “It is not the first time I have raised funds for Sarcoma UK. I did the Three Peaks Challenge last year and raised £1,000 – I didn’t expect to get that much. I like a challenge and want to do something a bit different. I do get plenty of looks while I am out training! That’s good as I want to raise awareness of sarcoma and raise funds to help the charity invest in projects to improve the diagnosis and treatment of sarcoma.
“As for the 20 kilos, I know someone who’s done it before and thought to myself ‘that’s a challenge and a half’ so why not go with that for my first ever marathon.”
Sarcoma UK’s Director of Fundraising and Communications, Kerry Reeves-Kneip, said: “We have amazing supporters at Sarcoma UK and Steve is no exception. His efforts will help us fund vital research, offer support to anyone affected by sarcoma and campaign for better treatments.”
This time, Steve has a fundraising target of £1,500. You can donate to him at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/steve-walker46
