UPDATE - Issue 02 - January 1999
Prostate Cancer Man Seeks Marathon Sponsorship
Rex Willoughby, 55, from Cobham in Surrey, will be the first person to be sponsored to run in the London Marathon on Sunday April 18 wearing a Prostate Research Campaign UK T-shirt.
Rex was Finance Director of Mobil UK, when he went for his company's routine annual medical four years ago. He had heard about PSA testing for Prostate Cancer, so whilst they were about the business of taking a blood sample to test for standard substances such as cholesterol, he said "What about this PSA test?". "We do not usually include the test in the company medical, but since you ask, we'll do it" he was told. Rex had had no worrying symptoms and was therefore astonished that the result was a PSA of 9, the normal range being 0 to 4. There then ensued a series of further tests which confirmed the presence of a rather aggressive cancer, which Roger Kirby FRCS removed in March 1995.
Up and running in 4 weeks
Rex was up and running again within four weeks of the operation. Last
October, to confirm that he could complete the marathon next April, he
ran with 30,000 other competitors in the Great North Run. This is
a half marathon which he completed in 2 hours 19 minutes! Now as well as
training for next April's event he works during the week for a disabled
persons organisation near Cobham called The Grange. His training
has to be carried out in darkness. Fortunately he trains in daylight at
weekends so we could get his photo for Update.
The marathon is 26 miles 385 yards in length, commemorating Phidippides run to the city of Sparta to ask for help for the Persians in their famous battle against the Athenians 490 years before the birth of Christ, which they lost. In April, Rex will be running the same distance measured out from Greenwich to Westminster via the Cutty Sark, Docklands, Tower Bridge and Central London.
To sponsor Rex
Rex suggests that for sponsorship purposes he will run the first mile and
385 yards for nothing and his sponsors need only sponsor the remaining
25 miles. So 10p per mile is £2.50 and £1 per mile is a very
useful £25.