70 miles vs Leukaemia

Ed Kneale is organizing this fundraiser to benefit Young Lives vs Cancer.

"Ed performed well this season despite a violent growth spurt which left him to contend with somewhat uncontrollable limbs and an oversized rear-end."

This was the feedback from my U16's cricket coach in 2005, and I think that was the peak of my sporting career. Sixteen years later, I have decided to get off one oversized asset and put the others to use to raise money for a wonderful charity.

On May 5th, I will be swearing for 6-10 hours across 70.3 miles in this year's Mallorca Half Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 55 mile cycle, 13.1 mile run). This will be my first ever triathlon; I am woefully unprepared, and, as many of you know, I live in an almost constant state of sweatiness - so it remains to be seen if I will dissolve into a puddle in the Mallorcan heat. Yet, any anguish I go through is minuscule compared to that experienced by my brother Tom's family when, in 2016, my wonderful niece Catrin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). For three years, she bravely fought what is the most prevalent and aggressive form of childhood cancer, with multiple rounds of debilitating chemotherapy and steroids for Catrin and endless worries and round trips to the hospital in Liverpool for Tom and my sister in law, Liz.

As you can see from the below video, Catrin's journey was made easier by the likes of the fantastic work of by the Make A Wish Foundation, whilst Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly Clic Sargent ) were a constant source of help and support for Tom and Liz as they juggled their own medical careers, Catrin's gorgeous younger sister Megan, and all of the emotional pressures facing two young parents whose child has cancer.

Thankfully, five years on from her diagnosis, Catrin has made a full recovery. Dinosaurs have been replaced by new fascinations with football (and Minecraft), and she has just been awarded a scholarship to secondary school. She really is an amazingly funny, brave and inquisitive person, and I am so proud of her, and thankful for the support of Young Lives v Cancer and their tireless work to help families whilst raising awareness of, and conducting research into, the effects of cancer in children.

I hope to raise £2,000 to help Young Lives vs Cancer continue to make such fantastic, positive impacts on the lives of thousands of children and their families whose lives have been turned upside down by cancer diagnoses. All donations really are greatly appreciated - and if I cannot stir you with the image of a smile spreading across a poorly child's face, then maybe the thought of a lanky idiot with no triathlon experience hopelessly dragging his knuckles (and a large arse) around Mallorca is humourous enough for you to reach into your wallets.

All my love, and fuck cancer,

Ed x