Doctors to raise £100,000 for hospitals with their epic runs
BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk
Two doctors who treat patients with head and neck cancer are set to finish a £100,000 fundraising feat with a run of 100km, or more than 62 miles.
Dr Benjamin Miller and Dr Aleix Rovira, from Guy’s and St Thomas’, have been doing a monthly run, starting with 10km, then adding an extra 10km each month.
The pair are due to do their final 100km run tomorrow.
They are raising money to support the new Guy’s Head and Neck Cancer Centre, which was recently launched to improve how head and neck cancer is diagnosed and treated.
The entire head and neck cancer team have been fundraising throughout the year doing different challenges – and have collectively raised more than £100k so far.
On their final run they will be joined at Hyde Park by colleagues, friends and family to finish the final stretch to Guy’s hospital together.
Their patients are never far from their thoughts as they tie the laces on their trainers each month.
“We’re doing this for our patients,” said Dr Rovira. “Knowing that we’re fundraising for them definitely keeps us going.”
The head and neck cancer team have dubbed their fundraising challenges as ‘10 in 10’ and have undertaken 10 activities over 10 months, either individually or in groups, including triathlons, swimming challenges and bake sales.
So far the whole team have collectively raised more than £100,000 to support their patients.
Dr Miller, an ear, nose and throat registrar, said: “The first few months were fine as we’d run those kinds of distances before, but from there it kind of spiralled out of control and now we’re doing these insane runs that we would never have contemplated before.”
Their most recent run of 90 kilometres took 13 hours and 29 minutes to complete, with the pair beginning at midnight.
Most runs have started at Guy’s hospital. Dr Miller and Dr Rovira have been joined by colleagues, friends and family for some of them. Dr Miller even pushed his children Zara, aged three, and one-year-old Casper in a buggy throughout their 20km run.
Dr Miller said: “Some of the longer distances have been really difficult at times, but also surprisingly nice. We’ve got to see some places we’d never have visited and we’ve challenged ourselves to do something we never thought would be possible.”
Dr Rovira said: “In the delirium of some of our longer runs, Ben and I have talked about how amazing it would be to have others join us for the run, like in Forest Gump.
“Everyone is invited to join us at any point, particularly at the end as we cross the finish line.”
All of the money raised will go towards different projects to help patients with head and neck cancer.
To donate to the Guy’s head and neck cancer team’s fundraising, visit their JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/10in10challenge
Pictured: Dr Benjamin Miller and Dr Aleix Rovira, with Dr Miller’s children Zara and Casper
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