Mega challenge for Ben’s tragic pal raises £21,000
ABIG- HEARTED Rochdale runner has raised more than £21,000 for charity after taking on a mega marathon challenge in memory of a father-of-two who died aged just 29 of a rare form of cancer.
Ben Bate, 39, completed four marathons in under 24 hours to raise funds for Sarcoma UK.
The personal trainer took on the challenge as a tribute to good friend and client Tom Makin.
He started the run which included 26 laps around
Bamford and Norden at 4pm on Saturday (July 2) and concluded outside his Bodypro Personal Training Studio on Bury Road on Sunday afternoon with a sea of supporters cheering him to the finish line.
Ben said: “In 2019, Tom sadly passed away in 2019 from Osteosarcoma. He was just 29 years old and left behind two daughters aged just three and eight-weeksold.
“Last year I had the pleasure of helping to train some of Tom’s friends and wife, to run the 2020 London marathon to raise money for Sarcoma UK.
“Sarcoma is a rare cancer that develops in the muscle, bone and soft tissue and in most cases affects teenagers and young adults.
“Sarcomas are notoriously difficult to treat and have poor survival statistics, which is why Sarcoma UK is looking to increase the awareness of sarcoma and provide ground breaking research programmes to try and get to the bottom of this deadly disease.
“Team Tom conquered the London marathon and I felt that I could continue their efforts by taking on my own mission to run for 24 hours, aiming to cover 104 miles. It felt like a great challenge to help raise money in Tom’s memory.”
Ben added: “This run completely pushed the limits of my physical capabilities and at some points I went to some dark places, but nowhere near as tough as Tom’s battle and the heartache suffered by his family.
“I am so pleased to have raised over £21,000 and hope it can help boost their coffers after such a challenging year. A huge thank you to everyone for their support and donations.”
Tom’s wife Kirsty added: “After initially making a joke with Ben that he should go one better than our marathon last October, little did I know that he would suggest attempting four marathons in just 24 hours.
“It seemed pretty impossible that anybody would ever be able to do this but he beavered away, clocking up many miles during training and before we knew it, it was D-day.
“It was mind blowing to see Ben pushing through the mental and physical pain, I still can’t believe he managed to run 104 miles with no sleep for 24 hourswhat an epic achievement.
“Ben has raised a staggering £21,000 for the charity, which will be added to the Tom Makin Fund at Sarcoma UK and will help fund vital research into potential advancements of treatment for this cruel disease.
“The generosity of everyone has been simply amazing and is a credit to Ben’s mammoth dedication to this challenge.
“I am blown away by Ben’s achievements and it means so much that he chose to run in honour of Tom.
“Myself and all of Tom’s family will be forever grateful to Ben in helping keep Tom’s memory alive. What a hero.”
To donate visit: https:// www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ben-bate
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