Margate man runs three extra marathons for Prostate Cancer Charity
The "Mara-than" runner will compete in the London marathon today, and run back to Margate tomorrow.
Chris Asher, a 50-year-old runner from Margate, is set to take on the London Marathon in memory of his father while also embarking on an additional 80-mile run back to Margate the following day.
This extraordinary effort aims to raise awareness and funds for Prostate Cancer UK, inspired by his father, John Asher, who lived with the disease for 18 years and passed away in 2023.
Mr. Asher plans to complete the marathon in under three hours and will begin his “Mara-Than” journey from London back to Thanet by 6am the next morning, hoping to finish the route in approximately 12 hours.
He will end his journey at the Shakespeare pub on Margate seafront, where he expects a celebratory pint to be waiting.
Mr. Asher expressed his dedication to his cause, reflecting on his father’s courageous battle with prostate cancer and highlighting the importance of awareness through health checks.
Speaking to us he said:
"I just thought it was yeah just something that could be combined together to make um more of a challenge and try and raise as much as possible and more importantly the awareness uh that there's much needed."
He added:
"It's one in eight men will at some point will either be living with or have uh prostate cancer as a diagnosis.
"But it's kind of a cancer that doesn't really show any symptoms....I'm now in the 50 category, so I'm at risk. There's there's a family history, obviously with my father. So again, that increases my risk and there's a higher risk if you're black, there's a higher risk there.
"And there's ways of being checked without going to see the doctor. "
Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer amongst men, affecting one in eight. The charity offers a risk-checking tool online, emphasizing the importance of early detection, which often lacks symptoms.
Chris has currently raised nearly £2,500 so far for Prostate Cancer UK through the challenge, he's part of 230 runners representing the charity during the marathon.