After the Darvell sisters Hannah, 21 and Leah, 24 faced the devastating news during March of the first lockdown that their mum had been diagnosed with cancer, the sisters immediately wanted to help out.
The sisters were so thankful for the care that their mum received that they wanted to give back and pondered on what would be the best way to do this, until they stumbled across CRUK’s upcoming February fundraiser.
Cancer Research UK had set the mammoth challenge throughout the month of February of running 56 miles per person, equating to running two miles per day in order to raise funds for future cancer research and awareness.
Pulling together their family and friends to get involved, the sisters aged 21, and 24, asked who was up for the challenge… and the blisters- and a brave group of 14 novice runners agreed to take part for such a personal, worthy cause.
With only an initial target to raise £150, the group were stunned to see they were already over £2,600 on just their fourth day, Leah Darvell labelled the revelation “overwhelming” to see so much raised so quickly.
Target after target has been continuously smashed, and now with only a few days to go, a very exhausted group full of bruises, limps, and aching limbs have now reached a staggering total of £4,417 with funds continuing to rise by the day.
Leah said: “A group of us decided to do something to fundraise for Cancer Research, as it is something close to a lot of people’s hearts. None of us are runners, so this is a real challenge for us.”
-Leah Darvell
With Cancer Research UK statistics estimating that someone in the UK is given a cancer diagnosis every two minutes, vital work and fundraising is needed to find a cure. The fundraising team have been utterly determined to complete the challenge, running through all injuries and the elements they faced.
By the end of February, the group will have run a gruelling 784 miles in total, working out as approximately 29 marathons in the hope of raising as much money as possible for such a meaningful charity to them.
This group of rookie runners should be immensely proud of themselves and we wish them the best of luck for the rest of their running journeys.
If you would like to donate to this very worthy cause and spur the group on for their final days, you can click here or donate using the link below.