John Burkhill Sheffield: Legendary Man with a Pram set for his 1,037th race this weekend

John Burkhill is aiming to raise £1m for Macmillan Cancer Support and is expected to once again cut a distinctive figure at this weekend’s event. At 84 years of age, John pushes his late daughter’s pram whilst wearing his distinctive bright green wig and giant foam hand as he collects donations as he aims for his ‘magic million’.

Inspired by the loss of his wife to cancer just a year after having lost their daughter during a routine procedure, John’s current total stands at almost £920,000. John says he is “excited and humbled” to be closing in on his staggering target as he readies himself for Sunday’s Sheffield Half Marathon.

“I’m very humbled by it all,” said John. “It’s quite an exciting time and everyone keeps asking me if I’ve got there yet and also they ask whether I’ll stop when I do. I won’t. I’ll just keep going.”

John initially aimed to raise £250,000, but set a new target having reached the quarter-of-a-million mark in 2013.

“I’ve got to thank such a lot of people for donations in the bucket,” said John. “Both Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United supporters, all Sheffielders, have been absolutely brilliant with me. There are too many people to name but I must mention a good friend Bill and his family who have been invaluable. There are just too many to mention. Everyone has seen what I’ve tried to do and got behind me. I’m very humbled about it all. I feel we’ll get there to that magic million this year, I really hope we do.”

John has taken part in every half marathon organised in Sheffield since 1982 and can’t wait to get on the starting line in his home city.

He said: “It’s always exciting being in my home city. It takes such a long time to get round because everyone wants to stop and take photos and talk to me, which I love and don’t mind at all. But it does take me a while. If I was to do it without the pram, I could do it in two and half hours. But with the pram it takes me double or triple that time. That said, it doesn’t matter what time it takes me, that’s what Mike Tomlinson (Run For All’s Chief Executive) says to me. I’ll be on that start line and no matter what I’ll get there.”

Hannah Lumb, Macmillan Cancer Support’s fundraising manager, said: “John continues to inspire everyone he comes into contact with and we are so thrilled everybody across Sheffield and beyond is behind what he is trying to do in raising that ‘magic million’ for Macmillan. There’s no slowing him down and we are incredibly grateful to John’s supporters who are all helping people living with and affected by cancer, especially during what are difficult times with the cost of living crisis.”

Supporters can donate in person to John online at www.justgiving.com/madwalker or by texting the word PRAM to 70550.