Crystal Palace fan’s family run distance from Selhurst Park to Paris and raise £30,000 for charity

The family of a Crystal Palace fan and former ITV News editor have completed the grueling challenge of running 460km in one month – and raised almost £30,000 for charity.

Lee Roberts and Jordan Smith were cheered over the finish line on June 30 after running the equivalent distance between Selhurst Park and Paris.

The pair’s “Palace to Paris” challenge has raised £29,276 for Cure Leukemia – almost double their original goal of £15,000.

The fundraiser was inspired by Mr Roberts’ brother-in-law, Geoff Hill, who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2017 and has been battling the disease ever since.

Mr Hill said: “We’ve raised more than double our original target which is a phenomenal achievement. It’s been a real team effort, but we wouldn’t have raised a penny without Lee and Jordan’s determination, passion and resilience. 

“We are immensely proud of their heroic effort, and grateful to everyone who has donated.”

The 460km challenge is the equivalent of running 11 marathons in a single month.

Mr Roberts said: “We’ve been humbled by the generosity, support and belief of complete strangers, who have all contributed to raising over double our intended target, an amount that will help Cure Leukaemia continue the fight against this dreadful illness.”

Mr Smith said: “The challenge achieved what we were looking to do which was create some positivity and attention on what continues to be a very challenging time for many.

Since Mr Hill’s diagnosis, he has had almost 100 rounds of intravenous and intrathecal chemotherapy, 24 fractions of radiotherapy, more than 6,000 pills and countless invasive procedures.

Cure Leukaemia is one organisation dedicated to finding a cure for the disease and also supports the clinical trials by funding specialist nurses across the UK.

You can support Mr Hill and the charity Cure Leukaemia by donating to the ‘Palace to Paris’ challenge here.

Pictured top: Lee Roberts (left) and Jordan Smith (right) cross the finish line (credit: Emily Hill)