Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Race for Life… in a bit of style
Battler Rena and family complete Race for Life in the most unique way
Coatbridge woman Catherine Lennon travelled in style as she completed the Race for Life in Glasgow with relatives and friends.
She took pride of place in a specially-constructed pink rickshaw and raised £1200 in sponsorship, while her team mates for the 5k event added hundreds more to the combined grand total for Cancer Research.
An inspirational Coatbridge woman and a group of relatives and friends raised thousands for Cancer Research by completing the Race for Life in Glasgow in an unusual way.
Catherine Lennon, known as Rena, travelled in a specially-designed rickshaw as the 10-strong group — kitted out in pink T-shirts, tiaras and giant foam hands — completed the fundraising course around the city centre.
Rena, 65, is currently receiving treatment for secondary cancer, now in her lung and spine — having first been diagnosed with and gone through treatment for breast cancer five years ago.
Having been advised by medics not to walk the five- kilometre course, she instead took pride of place in the adapted rickshaw, named “Rena’s Rocket”, to take part in the event and cross the line at Glasgow Green.
It was Rena’s fourth Race for Life, which she completes annually with daughter Paula Paterson. They were joined this time by relatives Angie Deakin, Amy Smith, Sharron Donnelly, Caroline Lennon, Tracy, Sarah and Abbie Fleming, and family friend Amanda Hamilton.
Paula, 37, of Airdrie, said: “It was fantastic, an absolutely great day. It was a surprise for mum that so many people were doing the race with us, and her niece Angie even came up from Barnsley to take part.
“After she was advised not to walk the course, I thought about arranging a wheelchair and then Amanda’s husband, Kevin Hamilton, adapted it into a rickshaw so five of us pulled her around.
“She was a bit apprehensive at first, but she absolutely loved it, all sorts of people were stopping to speak to us, and it was a challenge getting her out of it at the end!
“The hardest thing was just trying to coordinate everyone running with it at one time, and switching over every so often — but it was great fun and I’d definitely do it again.”
Grandmother- of- three Rena, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, just three months after tragically losing her brother to lung cancer.
After chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she was able to return to work and completed Race for Life for the first time in 2013 and has since raised around £1000 each year.
However, she became unwell once again the day before last year’s event — which she nonetheless managed to complete alongside Paula — and it was later found that the cancer had spread, requiring more chemotherapy treatment.
Paula added: “She has days where she’s a bit tired and lethargic, but she always bounces right back up and always has a smile on her face.
“She’s raised more than £ 1200 just on her own for this year’s race, with sponsorship money still coming in and the rest of us in the team still collecting donations too. She does fantastically well and all the people she knows are just walking up to her and wanting to give sponsorship.
“My mum is the strongest person I know. She keeps an amazing attitude and is an absolute inspiration to many people, and we’re extremely proud of what she’s done this year and in previous years.”
As she couldn’t walk the course, we came up with the rickshaw