Finally, after months and months of delays due to the pandemic, Sarah Durkin and 5 close friends ran 26 gruelling but rewarding miles through the streets of Manchester. Raising almost £6000 between them, we couldn’t be more proud to have them on board team Prevent Breast Cancer. Read all about Sarah’s Manchester Marathon experience below.
Sarah’s Story
On Sunday 10th October – a very sunny autumn day – the 6 of us lined up with 30,000 other runners under the arch outside the White City Retail Park in Trafford to begin the Manchester Marathon 2021!
We had originally registered for the April 2020 marathon in late 2019. We had trained up to 20 miles for this before it was cancelled with four weeks to go, due to the global pandemic. The race was postponed to October 2020, then April 2021. It was last Sunday when the start gun eventually went off!
We ran early miles through Old Trafford and Hulme and then entered a roaring Manchester City centre down Deansgate – this was a highlight for us all! We passed the Great Northern Warehouse and the former Free Trade Hall and then turned into Mount Street, passing Central Library before continuing to Albert Square. We then went down John Dalton Street and onto Deansgate and headed back into Trafford, passing the Victoria Warehouse and Hotel Football. There was then a long five-mile straight run down Chester Road onto Cross Street, continuing under the M60 motorway into Sale!
The halfway mark was followed by a run through Timperley Village into Altrincham, where we went through the town centre – this was very special for us as we all live in Altrincham so had a lot of supporters there! We then returned to Timperley Village and passed the famous statue of Frank Sidebottom. Brooklands Road marked the 20-mile point, and we continued into Sale town centre and back onto Chester Road for the return to Stretford. Instead of going straight down Chester Road, we turned right onto a packed Edge Lane and headed towards the last couple of miles through a bustling Chorlton before the final stretch, with a finish just outside Lancashire County Cricket Ground! Crossing the finish line felt incredible!
We were all lucky to have lots of support along the route with family and friends popping up all along the course – some of them several times as they used the trams to navigate their way around the course!
It was a wonderful day that we will never forget and a brilliant event for Manchester and Trafford. The reason we had challenged ourselves to run the marathon was to raise vital funds for Prevent Breast Cancer. This is a cause close to our hearts, as one of our team, Lindsey, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 37. Lindsey has just celebrated her 41st birthday and she inspires us all every day with her courage, tenacity, determination and wonderful zest for life. We are delighted to have raised almost £6,000 for this amazing charity so far.
We would like to say a HUGE thank you to Sarah, Lindsey, Helen, Jenny, Jenny, Holly, as well as all of those that have supported them along the way. Thanks to you, we can get one step closer to a breast cancer free future. There is still time t0 support their fundraising.
Inspired? Discover what sporting challenges we have on offer and sign up in support of Prevent Breast Cancer today.
About Prevent Breast Cancer
Prevent Breast Cancer is the only UK charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer – we’re committed to freeing the world from the disease altogether. Unlike many cancer charities, we’re focused on preventing, rather than curing. Promoting early diagnosis, screening and lifestyle changes, we believe we can stop the problem before it starts. And being situated at the only breast cancer prevention centre in the UK, we’re right at the front-line in the fight against the disease. Join us today and help us create a future free from breast cancer. If you have any questions or concerns, email us today.
About Prevent Breast Cancer
Prevent Breast Cancer is the only UK charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer – we’re committed to freeing the world from the disease altogether. Unlike many cancer charities, we’re focused on preventing, rather than curing. Promoting early diagnosis, screening and lifestyle changes, we believe we can stop the problem before it starts. And being situated at the only breast cancer prevention centre in the UK, we’re right at the front-line in the fight against the disease. Join us today and help us create a future free from breast cancer. If you have any questions or concerns, email us today.
