Sheffield marathon man takes on running challenge for cancer charity

John Offord, aged 40, from Grenoside, set himself a huge task during lockdown – to complete six marathons in May.

He will finish the challenge tomorrow, having covered 157.2 miles.

He decided to run the equivalent of six marathons around the city to raise awareness and funds for the cancer charity, Maggie’s.

He said: “I’ve been running every other day in May and I’m getting tired now.

“I still have a further 11.7 miles to go. I wanted to do something positive during lockdown as people with cancer need our help more than ever right now.”

John is no stranger to running. He completed both the London marathon last year and the Sheffield half marathon back in 2018, in memory of his father and brother who he lost in 2013.

He added : “It was six years ago that my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was told he had four weeks left to live.

“I remember driving my father back home, the silence in the car will stay with me forever.

“My brother, Anthony who had a mental illness took it particularly badly and ended up collapsing at a friend’s flat a few weeks later.”

Anthony was taken to Northern General hospital’s intensive care unit where he was found to have irreversible brain damage, caused by a starvation of oxygen to the brain. He died two days later.

John said: “Despite the doctor saying in early February that my father only had four weeks left to live, he remained alive until May 8 - the day of my brother’s funeral.

“I find this a truly powerful testament of th e human spirit .”

John hopes to raise £600 for Maggie’s through his marathon challenge, his total currently stands at £395.

Maggie's is an unique cancer charity which was launched in 1996 and was named after cancer patient Maggie Keswick Jencks.

Maggie was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1993 and spent the last year of her life working on an idea for a cancer centre which she hoped would change the lives of other cancer sufferers.

Anyone that would like to help John reach his target can do so at www.virginmoneygiving.com/johnofford.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to The Star website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.