Four brothers will transform into fearsome Uruk-hai warriors from The Lord of the Rings as they tackle the TCS London Marathon in full chainmail and armour, honouring their mother, Sharon, who died from a rare form of cancer.
The Davison brothers – William, Charlie, Arthur and Oscar – will endure the 26.2-mile challenge wearing 10kg costumes complete with helmets, turning their childhood fascination with costumed marathon runners into a powerful tribute to their ‘incredibly strong and fierce but humble and loving’ mother. Having watched marathon runners from the sidelines as children in Wapping, the brothers will unite to raise awareness and funds for Sarcoma UK, the charity fighting the disease that claimed Sharon’s life in 2018 after a six-year battle with leiomyosarcoma.
Sharon was first diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma in 2012. There are an average of 525 cases of leiomyosarcoma diagnosed every year in England, making up about 0.17% of all cancers.
Sharon was referred to the Royal Marsden Hospital and had a full hysterectomy. She then had four years in the clear – even running a half-marathon in Surrey in 2014.
But, in the summer of 2016, she had a persistent cough. Sharon went to her GP and was sent for a scan, which found a shadow in a lung. The cancer had returned, and part of the lung had to be removed.
The following year, Sharon was told the cancer had spread throughout her body. She received chemotherapy and immunotherapy but died aged 53 in August 2018.
Will said: ‘Mum was incredibly strong and fierce but so humble and loving. Throughout her illness, she was a symbol of strength and resilience. She was very involved with her local community. So many people who we didn’t realise knew her attended her funeral.’
Will, 32, a teacher who now lives in Uganda; Arthur, 28, an AI engineer in Staffordshire; Oscar, 26, a software engineering student in Leeds, and Charlie, 30, a chartered accountant in London, have all run the London Marathon individually in the past raising more than £14,000 between them for Sarcoma UK, but this year are teaming up to take part in 10kg costumes complete with helmets.
When the boys were growing up, they lived near the marathon route in Wapping. Charlie said: ‘Every year we’d cheer the runners on with a megaphone from the side of the road in awe of runners in costumes – superheroes, the famous rhinos, and even the odd runner with a fridge on his back. So now it’s our turn to wear the costume.’
The brothers are running to raise awareness and funds for charity Sarcoma UK that supports research for better treatments, provides expert support and ensures no one faces sarcoma alone. Their father Gary, 61, a retired chartered accountant from Sevenoaks, is a trustee of Sarcoma UK.
‘At Sarcoma UK, we’re investing over £600,000 in five promising research projects focused on leiomyosarcoma, the rare cancer that took Sharon Davison’s life at just 53,’ said Dr Sorrel Bickley, Director of Research, Policy and Support at Sarcoma UK.
‘Our researchers are working on several practical approaches – finding better drug combinations that target leiomyosarcoma cells while sparing healthy ones, creating lab models that mimic how these tumours behave in actual patients, and identifying genetic markers that can tell us which treatments will work best for each person. We’re particularly excited about newer treatments that could replace harsh chemotherapies and about methods to overcome drug resistance, which is a major challenge with this type of cancer. Stories like Sharon’s and the incredible dedication of her four sons remind us why this work is so urgent. No family should lose a mother so young to this disease. Through these research efforts, we’re determined to find better treatments so that future patients have more time with their loved ones.’
To donate to the appeal, go to https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/charlie-davison
