Plymouth woman to run Virgin Money London Marathon to help prevent cancer

Laura Goodbourn, 31, from Derriford in Plymouth, is running the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 22 April to raise money for World Cancer Research Fund's cancer prevention and survival work.

Laura, an assistant data manager, is doing this because her father Robert (Bob) Mayes died of a rare cancer in September 2017.

Laura has never run a full marathon before, but has been training hard, including completing the Plymouth 10K in September last year in one hour seven minutes. She is hoping to raise over £2,500.

Commenting on her decision to run the London Marathon for World Cancer Research Fund, Laura said: "When I found out Dad had cancer, I decided to apply for the London Marathon. He told me I'd better get training, and that he wished he could do it with me. It was such a shock when he passed away and it's going to take us a long time to truly accept that we won't see him again. He was such an amazing man, and he was loved by everyone who met him."

During her run, Laura will be reminded of her father when she looks down at the trainer tags he bought her not long before he passed away. They say "When your legs get tired … run with your heart".

"I decided to apply for a charity place to run for World Cancer Research Fund because their work is different from many other cancer charities. Their research focus on prevention, which I think is relevant to every single person. Working for Plymouth University's clinical trial's unit: Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit (PenCTU), I see day to day the importance of clinical research and I really wanted an opportunity to fund exceptional research. After all, prevention is better than cure."

Gerard Cousins, Director of Fundraising at World Cancer Research Fund, said: "We're incredibly grateful to Laura for her fantastic support. It's thanks to the amazing efforts of people like Laura that we can continue to help the public make more informed lifestyle choices to reduce their risk of cancer."

To support Laura's fundraising efforts, visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LauraGoodbourn