Julie and Fran take up the 50K challenge

02 Jan 2021

In August 2019, our General Manager Julie Russell and our Communications Officer Francine Clee took on the Jane Tomlinson York 10K to raise money for York Against Cancer. They are pictured here crossing York’s Millennium Bridge as they neared the end of their run.

Fran and Julie were due to pound the city streets once more last August in a repeat performance of the run, but the pandemic put paid to that.

Since then, they’ve both seen more of the couch than of their running shoes, but the 50K Challenge thrown down by the University of York Jack Birch Unit can’t be ignored.

Julie and Fran will be among those virtually joining our research scientists in trying to rack up 50K between March 1 and 10 in an effort to boost our funds.

And they’re both embarking on a socially distanced training programme to get them back into shape for the challenge.

“It’s certainly been a while since either of us tried to run 10K at once,” said Julie. “Who knows what we’ll be able to do this time round, but we are determined that whether it is all running or a combination of that and walking, we will each somehow cover 50K over the ten days of the challenge.

“We’ll be posting about our training to keep everyone up to date. We know there will be good days and bad days for both us and the others out there who are taking on the 50K Challenge, but we hope we’ll show that it’s possible to succeed even if you’re not a gym bunny or a committed amateur athlete.”

It’s easy to sign up for our 50K challenge. All you have to do is commit to covering 50K over 10 days between March 1 and 10, by running or walking. We ask that you don’t use wheels – unless, of course, you use a wheelchair or a wheeled mobility aid to get around.

To join the challenge or find out more, click here