‘Crayola runner’ is drawing attention to early diagnosis
Ami close to completing colourful 50km challenge to raise vital funds for Cancer Research
ONE of the last things you would expect to see on a quiet Sunday morning is a packet of Crayola crayons charging passed you, but for Ami Taylor that’s just a normal weekend, writes Max Carter Keall.
Ms Taylor, the CrayolaRunner, set out at the beginning of the summer to create some smiles and add some colour to people’s days, all while raising awareness about the importance of diagnosing cancer early.
Her main aim was to start the conversation about early cancer diagnosis and raise money for the Cancer Research UK Early Diagnosis Fund.
She said: “Running as a box of crayons is not a normal thing to do – getting checked out by the doctor if something isn’t quite right, is!”
Ms Taylor, from Hungerford, has been running a series of events since July 17, which total a whopping 50km, all while dressed in a yellow, foam suit.
She is currently 35km into
the challenge to date, with 15km remaining.
She plans to finish with a 10km run along the Thames at the end of this month.
Ms Taylor said her aim now is to re-ignite the discussion about the NHS, reminding people that they do want to see you and that you are never wasting their time if you have concerns about cancer symptoms.
She has also taken time out of her Sunday ‘long runs’ to create Social Media Reels talking about a range of symptoms, including bowel, breast and prostate cancer.
Her message is simple: “Don’t put it off, see the doc.”
She is also trying to encourage people to attend screening tests when invited and not be embarrassed about talking to your doctor about possible symptoms.
For Ms Taylor this cause is also a personal one.
She added: “In January 2021 both my father-in-law and uncle were diagnosed with cancer aged 59.
“We lost my father-in-law by the March and my uncle in September.
“I also lost my grandad to cancer in 2019. I have had several family members and friends also undergoing treatment recently too, so I felt compelled to do something to show my support and to honour those we have lost.
“Saying goodbye to two much-loved family members, both taken too young, with little warning and amidst a pandemic is hard.”
Ms Taylor chose local Parkruns and events where she had the opportunity to speak to runners and spread the message more widely.
“I decided if I did one big event, the awareness side of the challenge wouldn’t be optimised,” she said.
“I started with the Reading Race For Life 10k on that very hot weekend and almost melted, if it hadn’t been for a fellow runner recommending I ran with a frozen water pack.
“I have spoken to so many people and heard so many stories, I have shed tears and met some amazing people. The outfit is a fantastic icebreaker and creates a lot of smiles!”
If you would like to follow Ami’s journey you can on Instagram: @CrayolaRunner and you can donate through her fundraising page https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/ page/crayola-runner
Her decision to wear the suit came with two criteria.
Firstly, sustainability played a big part, so she was limited to looking in second-hand markets.
Secondly, she wanted something a bit different, that she could physically run in but that would stand out in a crowd.
She said “I have to be honest, I feel very silly running around
as a box of crayons, but it reminds me a lot of people feel silly about getting checked out and they really shouldn’t, so that keeps me going.”