Stalybridge resident James Lowe is stepping up his training ahead of the Manchester Marathon he is running in less than seven weeks time, in memory of his late grandfather, whom he unfortunately lost to cancer.

The event is taking place on 16 April across the Manchester area, and James is keen to make his grandad proud by finishing his first-ever marathon, which has always been an aspiration of his. As well as making his grandad and family proud, James also wants to inspire others by running the marathon, to believe they also have the capability to do so.

Another one of James’ objectives he wished to fulfil through running the marathon was to raise money to support those suffering from cancer. He has set up a fundraising page on the Cancer Research website, where people can donate money to a fantastic cause. The £150 target set by James has already been surpassed, and it only took a week to reach this goal. The total currently stands at £220 and with just under two months time until the race gets underway, there is still plenty of time for the sum to rise.

Running a marathon requires a huge amount of dedication and preparation, which, for many people, is the most difficult part. However, this is not the case for James, who has embraced the challenges of preparing for a marathon and even says he has enjoyed elements of the training. When asked about which aspects of the training he enjoys most, James said “I enjoy training when I have a goal to work towards”, “I’m not one of those who go to the gym just to work out, I always have to have a goal”.

The main reason James gave for wanting to run the marathon was the feeling he will get from completing it. When asked about his primary motive for getting involved in the marathon James said, “I want the sense of achievement from finishing it, for my grandad and me it will be a special moment, and the money raised will go towards helping people in a similar situation to what he dealt with”.

 Picture: James and his Grandfather, who he was named after.

As mentioned earlier, another reason James gave for wanting to run the marathon was that he wanted to inspire others to do similar things, in order to raise money for those in need. When asked if he had a message for anyone contemplating doing an event such as a marathon, James noted that, “If you know someone suffering from cancer, motivate yourself through them and you can do it”. “Anybody can do anything if they’re motivated and they want to do it”, he added.

In terms of the challenges James has encountered on his journey, he mentioned that, “The toughest part has been the mental side for me, I have suffered with mental problems in the past and I have dyslexia as well.” He noted that doing exercise is his way of coping with these issues “Working out helps me a lot and it is something that I really enjoy”.

As well as the marathon, James mentioned he is also hoping to complete two 10k runs later this year, in order to raise money for various children’s charities. When asked if he has any other plans for the future, in terms of fundraisers, James said, “Not at the moment, but I’m up for anything”. “I’ve done a lot of fundraisers over the past two years, and if something is for a good cause and I think it’s going to help somebody, I’ll do it.

If you would like to support James please head to his fundraising page:

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/jamess-giving-page-13573

🏃 Tour of Tameside 2023 🏃

We're proud to be delivering this year's four-day running festival, which takes place from 15 to 18 June. 

Find out more and book your place here. 

Want more local sport stories?

Head to https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/sport/ to see more of our coverage - from community and non-league football to local and county cricket, boxing, athletics, basketball, Esports and golf.