Three fitness enthusiasts are gearing up to take on the Great Birmingham Run, aiming to raise awareness and money for two cancer charities.
The run is split into two events, a 10K and a half marathon, with both of them being completed on the same day for the first time at the start of May.
Sophie Kang and Beth Willmott will be running in the 10K whilst Dan Foxall is taking part in the half marathon.
Dan has managed to raise more than £500 for Cancer Research UK and spoke about why he put himself forward for this challenge.
Dan said: “I’ve decided to do the run as both a personal challenge and a way to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
“The charity is close to my heart as my dad died from brain cancer in 2020.
“When training gets hard, I am inspired by the determination he showed throughout his life when he faced a challenge.
“I set a target of £500 to raise for the charity, and through the generosity of friends and family I have exceeded this target and I am really grateful to them for their support.”
They have developed their friendships through a Thursday running club, which was created at the beginning of last year.
Sophie Kang explained how she and her colleagues were pushing each other to the limit as race day approaches.
She said: “We decided at work to start a running club which has been the best motivation to get prepared, we have pushed each other every week to run further and faster and I personally owe it to tall my running buddies for keeping me motivated over the last 12 months.
“We began our Thursday club at the beginning of 2021, and it not only allowed us to see one another in person after being confined to our homes in COVID lockdown but enabled us to get fitter together.
“We have trained in every typical weather condition as it always seems to go from one extreme to the other, but we are hoping for a mild, yet sunny day in May.”
Beth Wilmott has had two cancellations of the run to deal with, as she originally signed up to it back in 2020.
However, she believes the extended time has benefitted her in training.
Beth said: “The push back in time has helped me as I’ve had enough time to train which I wouldn’t have had if the race had gone ahead as planned.
“I found the second push back affected my training as I had more time to wait so I wasn’t sticking to the level of training I should have been doing, so I had to push myself back into a routine to ensure I’ll be ready for May.
“Through this I found training with the others in our Thursday club which has helped me stay motivated and ensure we all get back on track ready for the new date.”
Beth also spoke about her personal goals, as she aims to complete the run without stopping.
She added: “I have never been much of a runner, before I started training I was only able to run a very short distance without stopping, but I have come so far and I am hoping to complete the 10K without stopping, this will be a huge achievement for me and I’m not thinking about finish times this time around.
“The most important thing of course is raising money for an amazing cause and doing my small part to help those affected by cancer.”
You can sign up yourself for The Great Birmingham Run here – https://www.greatrun.org/events/great-birmingham-run/?gclid=CjwKCAjwrqqSBhBbEiwAlQeqGr3SXSlQwFI0kgNlrPXe0ez0tkBux8E5tM6A8Ftx6ikYgp-GJjiShRoCpQ0QAvD_BwE
Donate to Beth’s justgiving page here – https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/beth-willmott?fbclid=IwAR25Di5bUMy1JcJQkim0nPRAGdpO3EJ_Fr7YkdQiQLw-rRV9o1Vx4w-yUwk