Shropshire Star

Ben strides out in Shropshire

Ben Reeves is tackling more than seven marathons in 10 days and is looking for runners to help him.

Published
Ben Reeves

The runner is taking on 200 miles from Chester, through Shropshire, to Southampton to raise awareness for bowel cancer, the illness his father was diagnosed with in the summer of 2017.

Warming up with a 26 mile marathon last Sunday Ben set off on his 200 mile journey on Thursday, running the equivalent of more than seven marathons in 10 days.

Londoner, Ben, 29, decided to start in his father’s home town of Chester, running to his own birthplace, Southampton while travelling through more than 30 towns and cities and seven counties to reach his destination.

He is aiming to raise over £5,000 for Bowel Cancer UK, the second biggest cancer killer in the UK.

His father, Alex, 60, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in the summer of 2017, prompting the challenging journey.

“As a keen runner, I wanted to do something beyond a traditional marathon to raise awareness of bowel cancer,” Reeves said.

“It can be treated much more easily if it’s diagnosed early. Hopefully this will prompt people to see their doctor if something doesn’t seem right.”

Along the way, Ben will run through north Shropshire including Whitchurch and also Telford where he plans to take part in the Telford Park Run on Saturday before heading for Kidderminster. He also plans to run through Bridgnorth.

Anyone that could help should ring Ben on 07950544436.

He will run through over 30 towns and cities cross seven counties and take more than a quarter of a million steps to complete the journey.

To keep him company on the trip, Ben is inviting anyone to run with him, be it those from running clubs, other keen athletes, or locals wishing to show their support.

Over 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK with more than 268,000 people living in the UK with bowel cancer.

Bowel cancer affects one in every 14 men, and one in every 19 women.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Ben-Reeves1188