On Saturday 20th February Shelley went along to the Running Club at K2 to see Iain Stevenson training in preperation for running three marathons over three consecutive weekends.

Iain Stevenson is preparing to run over 78 miles over three marathons

Who is Iain and why is he doing this?

Iain, 35 from Northgate had never run before, until last year when he ran the London Marathon to raise funds for research into a rare form of cancer. Sadly Iain and his wife lost their young son, Ben to this form of cancer in 2007. Ben was only two when he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer. Ben lost his struggle just after his third birthday. Unfortunately there is no funding available for the research into this devastating illness.

(L-R) Graham Eaton (Manager of the Running Club) and Iain Stevenson

What is Neuroblastoma?

Fewer than 100 children are diagnosed  each year with neuroblastoma in the UK. Most children who get this cancer are younger than five years old. Neuroblastoma is the second most common solid tumour in childhood and makes up 8% of the total number of children’s cancers.

Neuroblastoma is a cancer of specialised nerve cells, called neural crest cells. These cells are involved in the development of the nervous system and other tissues.

Neuroblastoma can occur anywhere in the body, but it most often occurs in one of the adrenal glands in the abdomen (tummy). The adrenal glands are specialised glands which are found above the kidneys. They release hormones to maintain blood pressure, and enable us to respond to stress.

In some children, the neuroblastoma can occur in nerve tissue alongside the spinal cord in the neck, chest, abdomen or pelvis.
Source: – Macmillan

Iain (far left) in training at the Running Club at K2

What Iain has already accomplished and his future goals

Iain raised £5,500 by running the London marathon last year. His goal is to beat that this year by running marathons in Paris, Brighton and London on three consecutive weekends. This is a massive feat for anyone, especially someone who before last year had never run, let alone run a marathon. Iain told us a friend of his ran the London marathon to raise awareness on their behalf and when he went to support his friend and saw him running, he had an overwhelming urge to get involved, feeling it would be a great way to raise awareness and funds for such a worthy cause.  Iain’s first marathon will be in Paris on the 11th April.

We hope the weather is this nice on all the marathon dates

We would like to wish Iain all the best and will keep you up-to-date with his progress. If you would like to support Iain, why not attend and cheer him on. Alternatively you can show your support by donating here.

VIDEO

Are you running any marathons? Please feel free to comment below.