TWO TAMESIDE friends are set to walk on to help those living with cancer with a huge fundraising challenge.
For Jack Clarke and Chance Walker will be putting themselves through four marathons in just three days over Easter in aid of Manchester’s Christie Hospital, with a £10,000 target.
On Good Friday, April 7, the pair, based in Ashton and Stalybridge respectively, will set off from Manchester city centre to Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
The day after will see them complete a return journey and they will head back on Easter Sunday, meaning they will have done the equivalent of four marathons.
And there is a personal motivation for both to do their bit for the Christie.
Jack’s grandfather Geoff passed away after living with cancer in 2021 and Chance’s granddad Dave is currently doing so.
Geoff’s tale – which saw him do his first half marathon at the age of 70, while being blind – is a particular inspiration.
And the 19-year-olds, who are fitting training around their apprenticeships in bricklaying and roofing, have put themselves through all conditions to prepare.
Jack’s proud mum Ruth said: “Geoff’s story is why they wanted to do something really physical for this challenge.
“It felt really fitting.
“They’ve been plotting this for a while bit given the charity it’s for, the history and why they’re doing it, they said they wanted to do something for it and something major.
“They wanted it to stand out and they’ve been getting up at 5am every day to go to the gym together. It’s that kind of commitment.
“They plotted out a route and in effect the tooing and froing between Manchester and Sheffield will see them clock up four marathons.
“They’ve been training for months. They do some form of physical training pretty much every day, fitting it around what is a full-time job.”
*IF YOU wish to donate to Jack and Chance’s fundraising challenge, you can do so by clicking www.gofundme.com/f/4-marathons-in-3-days-to-support-the-christie.