Corby man running 300 miles for cancer charity

James Radford is running around 10 miles a day
James Radford from Corby is running 300 miles this month to raise money for World Cancer ResearchJames Radford from Corby is running 300 miles this month to raise money for World Cancer Research
James Radford from Corby is running 300 miles this month to raise money for World Cancer Research

A man from Corby is aiming to run 300 miles in a month to raise money for a cancer charity.

James Radford was planning on running the London Marathon and Great North Run this year, but when both events were cancelled due to the pandemic, he started wondering what his next challenge could be.

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He set himself the challenge of running 300 miles this October when a friend challenged him.

James said: "I was talking to a few people and someone said, 'do you reckon you could run 300 miles in a month?' I said I didn't know, I'd never thought about it and I thought, nah.

"But then he said, 'I bet you couldn't', and that's when the ego started kicking and I thought I'd try and do it."

James is now just over halfway through his challenge and has 157 miles left to run before the end of the month. He is completing the challenge for World Cancer Research Fund.He said: "Five members of my family have died from cancer. I lost my mum and my nan when I was young, both my aunts and more recently my step-mum.

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"As I get older, there seems to be more and more people being lost to cancer."

James was just 11 when his nan died from bowel cancer and his mum died of the same disease when he was 19-years-old.

The cause is close to James' heart and he also wanted to do something positive during the pandemic.

The keen runner has raised money for charity by racing in the past, including treadmill challenges.

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James said: "Me and my friend would set up treadmills in shopping centres and places like that and we would aim to run a marathon on the treadmill and raise money by shaking buckets and raise awareness."

James' current challenge is all the more impressive because he works as a postman and covers around eight to 10 miles a day on his rounds before running for his challenge.

He said: "My wife says I'm an idiot.

"I've had a few issues with my feet but if I moan about it she says it's my own fault."

James has raised an amazing £985 so far and if you'd like to donate, you can find his JustGiving page here.

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James has also has a video about his challenge and why he is doing it which you can watch on Facebook here. It was produced by his cousin Connor Watts, a Corby lad who has set up his own video production company, Narce Media.

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