4,000 runners tackle Swindon Race for Life

Around 4,000 runners and walkers completed the 5k Pretty Muddy race and 10k Race for Life course at Lydiard Park over the weekend.

Under blue skies, the colourfully-dressed racers pledged to help find a cure for cancer. Over the two days Swindon runners raised at least £206,000 for charity Cancer Research UK.

Kalpana Tanna, a 53-year-old pharmacist from Swindon who last year received her third breast cancer diagnosis, told a crowd of 300 mud race runners on Saturday: “It’s people like you who give me hope and the wish to carry on with the treatment. You’re all doing a wonderful, wonderful job. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

A group of 50 of Kalpana’s friends, running as the Hindu Muddy Buddies, hoped to raise £10,000 alone when they lined up on the start line on Saturday.

Race organiser Michelle Leighton said ahead of yesterday’s Race for Life: “Every four minutes someone in the UK will lose their battle. A friend, colleague or a loved one. But we can change this right now. Here today, Swindon, we’re going to be raising £206,000.”

Friends Tracy Doole, Lisa Hawkins and Terri-Anne Evans, were running for mutual friend Belle.

Lisa, 43, from Pinehurst, said: “Our best friend has got liver cancer. We’re running for Team Belle.”

Tracy, 40, also from Pinehurst, added: “She’s the craziest Scottish lady that you will ever meet in your life. Even though she’s going through this, she’s laughing. She’s one of those who laughs in the face of adversity.”

Hannah Ryde, 43, from Royal Wootton Bassett, said: “We’re running the Race for Life for one member of the family and for everyone affected by cancer. We’ve got members of the family still fighting it and we’ve got survivors of cancer. We’re raising money for everyone.”

Rachel Watts, 36, from Bromsgrove, was dressed as a unicorn with seven-year-old Lily Owen: “We dressed as unicorns in memory of Lily’s mum and nan. They believed in unicorns.”

Jane Bristow, 58, Covingham, beat breast cancer 14 years ago: “The first thing I thought was, I’m going to die. Then you think, I’m not going to die. I’m going to fight it with everything I’ve got.”

Even people’s dogs got into the spirit. Hollie, a deaf seven-year-old Great Dane, was wearing a pink tutu around her enormous white neck. “She loves putting it on,” laughed owner Claire Harris, 37, of Royal Wootton Bassett. “She gets excited when it comes out.”

Andy Millin, merchandising manager, has been supporting the Race for Life events for 18 years. He said: “There’s been a massive change. The first year it was pretty much turn up with a few marshals and a little PA system. Nothing like this. I like the atmosphere. It’s the only event I know of that has such a warm and welcoming atmosphere for everybody.”

Special constable Steve Procter, wearing a pink tutu, said: “The best thing here is the community interaction, meeting people and speaking to people from all over.”

YOUR STORIES: Why are you running the Race for Life?

FORMER colleagues of cancer mum Vanessa Hobbs ran in her memory.

The 38-year-old lost her battle with cancer earlier this year, just weeks before she was able to see son Thomas pedal 1,000 miles on a fundraising bike ride to John O’Groats.

Ex-colleagues of Vanessa’s at Marks and Spencers took on the Race for Life on Sunday.

Liz Hunt, 52, from North Swindon, said: “I worked with her in the Orbital Marks and Spencers branch. She was made a manager, then she was the one who put me up for manager.”

Dressed in Vanessa’s favourite colour, purple, 17 former colleagues took on the race. Liz said: “We’ve all known her through the years. She was such a fighter. She never let anyone think themselves sick. She’d say, ‘Look at me’. Vanessa was always at work, never took any time off, even during the chemo.”

Colleague Jane Oliver, 61, of Old Town, said that the group had been doing a little training for the race. “Some more than others,” she joked.

MUSICAL theatre pals of Cirencester woman Pearl sported colourful pink wigs as they took on the 10k route.

“Pearl died in October,” said friend Sue Rowfe, 68. “She was bubbly, fun, smiley. She was great. We were all members of a musical theatre company together. Pearl and all of us had a wonderful time together.”

The pair took on the race in colourful t-shirts labelled Pearl’s Posse.

Sam Hawkins, 48, from Cirencester, said she’d done the race before. “But this is going to be the most emotional for us. She lives on in our hearts.”

Asked what would be going through her head when she crossed the finish line, Sam said: “We’ll think of Pearl and also that we’re helping loads of people with their fight against cancer.”

HOLLY Brown’s grandmother died after a battle with cancer.

The 23-yearold woman from Coleview said she was tackling the Race for Life in memory of nan Maureen Brown.

“She was a really lovely woman,” said Holly. “Really bubbly, really friendly. She used to do the Race for Life herself when she was alive.

“I’m doing the run in memory of her and also for my grandad, although he managed to fight cancer.”

She tackled the Pretty Muddy run on Saturday with friends Kelsey Bird and Dannielle Hunt. “I’m looking forward to getting muddy,” she laughed. “It’s more fun than the normal run.”

MILLY Twine and her young children took on the race for Auntie Bev. 

She said: "We we’re running for our deeply sadly missed Auntie Bev Newman. She fought so bravely but lost her fight on December 27, 2015. This is our fourth race and we vow to do it every year as a family in her honour and all those lost to cancer.

"It’s a deeply moving occasion. It’s so inspiring, although it’s so sad that everyone has their own story to tell."