Running in loving memory

When the Parfitt siblings Melissa, Amanda and John stand at the starting line of the St Clair half marathon this weekend there will be one person missing.

Yet their brother Chris who died of bowel cancer in February this year at age 40 is the reason why they’re running.

The St Clair marathon has aligned with Bowel New Zealand to raise funds for the disease and over the past four years has raised more than $170,000 for bowel cancer.

‘‘Chris was so determined right to the end and this is a great way for us to honour him,’’ Amanda Parfitt said.

‘‘His biggest motivation was to stay alive to watch his daughter Miette start school, he didn’t quite make it he passed away just one week before she started.’’

Chris who was a qualified mechanic and owned his own business in Australia had none of the symptoms common to bowel cancer and given his age and the lack of family history of the disease his diagnosis came as a shock to his family.

‘‘He was just feeling fatigued and that was it really, when he was diagnosed and told that it was terminal it was just devastating, Melissa said.’’

Raising awareness of the disease is now incredibly important to the family.

‘‘I think this has been one of the best things that has come out of entering the race for us.

‘‘The fact we now have a platform to share Chris’s story, he was such a private person but by doing this we have talked about it a lot and hopefully it will encourage others to start talking about bowel cancer and raise awareness.’’

The sisters said Chris was ‘‘completely selfless and would do anything for anyone.’’

‘‘He was just so stoic and strong and he was in an incredible amount of pain in the end but he was defiant - he just wanted more time,’’ Melissa said.

Melissa broke her foot a few months back but hasn’t let the injury prevent her from taking part

’’I’m not going to be running it like I planned but I’ve been walking up to 8k a day and the emotion on the day will definitely get me over the line.

Melissa said for her the training has helped with the grieving process and she is looking forward to being around others who are competing for their lost loved ones on the day.

The family had set a target to raise more than $500 for Chris via the St Clair Marathon Beat Bowel Cancer page, they are well over that now. Fifty dollars from every entry via that page goes directly to bowel cancer and friends and family can sponsor competitors.