Run Adam Run!

Adam Brown was selected earlier in the year to take the Cransley Hospice Trust place in the Virgin Money London Marathon.

(Richard and his grandsons)

Adam is running the 26.2 miles in memory of his beloved Dad, Richard Brown who passed away at Cransley Hospice in 2018.  On the 3rd of October he will pound the streets of London, challenging himself to run further than he has ever run before.

Adam started his running journey just 18 months ago when he was finding it difficult to come to terms with the loss of his Dad.  With the support of his family, he keeps motivated, running and raising money to support Cransley Hospice and here he shares why it means so much to him.

“It was August 2017 when Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer.  He developed a bad cough over a few weeks, which although he’d worked in tanneries and had always been a smoker, it didn’t seem right, so I made him go and get it checked out.

“Sadly, it was not good news. The hospital confirmed it was lung cancer and it was aggressive. It had already spread to his liver and they advised that he had a matter of months to live. They offered Chemotherapy which they said would possibly give him another 2 months at best. Although initially, he told me he didn’t want to have treatment, he accepted the chemotherapy.

“By December he decided to try radiotherapy as they said it had spread to his spine.  It was so quick that by late January he was housebound.  The Hospice at Home team was amazing and helped us get him set up at home, making a bed for him in the dining room, and they made him as comfortable as possible.

“It was the 9th of February when he moved into the hospice.  They were so accommodating of us and the whole family.  Allowing us space to be with him, but also giving us time on our own when we needed it.  They kept our spirits up with an endless supply of coffee and cake!

“Dad’s partner Janice, my sister Gemma and I saw him every day but it wasn’t long, he passed away on the 14th of February – Valentine’s day. The hospice team were just brilliant with his treatment and how they cared for him – and us too. He was so well looked after and running to raise money for Cransley Hospice Trust is my way of saying thank you – I raised nearly £700 in 2020, by running the Bedford Running Festival Virtual Half Marathon.”

Since being chosen as the Cransley Hospice London Marathon runner, Adam has signed up for a host of runs in preparation for the big day.  The Bedford 10K in June was Adams first race ever, he will be taking part in the Bedford Running Festival Half Marathon on 5th September, as well as the 20th Anniversary and final Cransley Road Race on September 19th.  He is hoping to raise £2,500.00 in memory of his Dad and if you’d like to support him, follow his training and keep him motivated for the big event please visit his VirginMoneyGiving page https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AdamBrown104.