Local runner smashes 10k target

An Audenshaw athlete has recently reached a remarkable fundraising milestone.  

Richard Bradbury, 53, has finally hit his goal of raising £10,000 for cancer charities, which he set back in 2018. 

Since then, the inspirational athlete has completed a whopping ten marathons, the most recent being the Berlin marathon which he tackled back in September. 

This is the second marathon Richard has taken part in this year, after running in the 2024 Leeds marathon back in May. 

Across both races, Richard raised just under £2,000, taking the total sum to £10,640. 

As mentioned, the sum has been shared across various cancer charities, most notably, Worldwide Cancer Research. 

Richard began his running journey just over six years ago in memory of his brother, Tim, who he lost to the disease in 2011. 

He often runs in a tutu and scrum cap as Tim was an enthusiastic dancer and represented Lancashire Under-21s in rugby union. 

As well as reaching double figures in marathons, Richard has also completed several half-marathons and ultra marathons, including the Manchester to Liverpool Ultra 50 and a lap of the rugged 37.73-mile Isle of Man TT Mountain Course.  

And he doesn’t intend to stop anytime soon, in fact, he will be taking things up a notch in 2025. 

The man from Audenshaw will attempt one of his toughest tasks yet- running five marathons in just four weeks. 

Richard will begin the feat with the Manchester Marathon in late April, before running three more in May: Skipton, Leeds and White Peak Matlock. 

The 53-year-old will then round off the four-week period with the Manchester Half Marathon, which he will be running to and from, to take the total distance over 26.2 miles. 

Astonishingly, Richard says these will just be ‘warm up runs’, to get him ready for the biggest one of the lot: the South Downs Way 100-mile Ultra Marathon, which he will tackle on June 14. 

“It’s going to be tough,” Richard told the Reporter. 

“There’s a 30-hour cut-off point, but I’m just going to give it my best and see how far I can get.” 

Looking beyond next year, Richard plans to continue taking part in these events for as long as possible.

“I’ll keep going until I break or run out of stupid ideas!” he added. 

Richard says all proceeds from next year's marathons will be donated to The Christie. 

If you would like to donate to Richard’s fundraising page, visit the following link: 

https://tenovuscancercare.enthuse.com/pf/richard-bradbury