Cosham man to take on 66 mile run around the Isle of Wight in memory of his dad

Russell Morris, from Cosham, plans to complete the Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge on April 30, in memory of his father Glyn, who died from cancer in 2019.

In a bid to push himself, 40-year-old Russell will run – and walk – around the circumference of the Isle of Wight in 24 hours, with a hope to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

Having previously run the Bournemouth Marathon, Russell is well acquainted with this kind of endeavour but at almost 66 miles, the Isle of Wight Ultra is over double the challenge.

‘I’m doing a lot of running to train for it, my legs feel ruined at the moment but hopefully it’ll get a little bit easier,’ he says.

Russell, a computer support technician, fits his training schedule around working full-time, running on both days of the weekend and doing 10 kilometre runs on weekdays.

He will be running alongside his friend Al Richards, who will be completing the challenge for another charity of his own choosing.

Russell has the full support of his mum Gwenda and sister Kirsty, who he said were ‘real troopers’ after losing his dad Glyn following a two-year battle with cancer.

‘My mum in particular, she was the main one looking after him for the last couple of years,’ said Russell.

‘Although we were given great support from Macmillan and the NHS,’ he added.

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After being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2017, Russell the NHS did a ‘great’ job at diagnosing and treating his dad’s condition, but it unfortunately reappeared elsewhere and this time, was untreatable.

‘As we know with these things, sometimes it just takes a little bit, laying dormant, for it to spread,’ said Russell.

Glyn and his family endured two years of the disease which left him ‘really unwell’ which, Russell says, was the hardest part on himself and others.

‘The gradual decline takes its toll on everyone and is the worst aspect of the disease,’ he added.

However Russell is grateful for the role that Cancer Research UK plays in the fight against cancer, funding scientists, doctors and nurses, and hopes that his drive can help give back to the charity.

‘My primary hope is raising money for the charity, which is going to go towards helping them continue their work both in treatment and early detection,’ Russell added.

‘And hopefully prevent a lot of grief.’

To donate to Russell’s fundraiser visit justgiving.com/fundraising/russell-morris-iow

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