A dad and his nine year old son are doing a stamina sapping combined run and cycle ride to support a charity fund-raising challenge.
McCarthy Distribution warehouse manager Steve Jones, 40, and son, Ryan, are three quarters of the way through their money spinning mission in aid of Prostate Cancer UK’s Run the Month campaign.
The energetic pair have already raised £545 and have totted up 35 miles together already and are planning to go out on the road again to further bump up their total mileage count.
Amateur sportsman Steve runs while Ryan gets on his mountain bike and pedals the distance alongside his hero dad.
Steve said: “It’s more a question of me chasing Ryan these days. I used to be the one setting the pace, but Ryan had a new bike for his ninth birthday and he leads the way now with me running along in his wake. I have a job catching up with him sometimes.”
Steve who was recently promoted to manager said a big thanks to his amazing work colleagues who have supported the duo’s charity venture.
He is based at the McCarthy Distribution headquarters on Wrexham Industrial Estate. From there the McCarthy group offers logistics and distribution solutions for businesses across the UK. In addition it provides British Retail Consortium accredited food grade warehousing on a racked and block stacked basis.
Steve, who oversees the warehouse operations, said: “There’s a real team spirit here at McCarthy Distribution and we’ve had so much support from my work colleagues, our friends and family members that it’s been a fantastic morale booster, especially in the January weather. It’s good to know so many people have got behind us and are cheering us on.”
They chose the Prostate Cancer UK’s Run the Month campaign after reading about it online.
Steve said: “It is an important charity and especially significant for men. We discovered they were looking for people to join in the challenge in January and being as we are two ‘blokes’ we thought it would be a brilliant charity to support. It was the perfect opportunity to do something for a good cause while keeping fit and spending a bit of time together.”
Steve said one big benefit of doing the run and cycle ride is that he has got to spend more time with Ryan.
He said: “So often after a busy day at work it’s easy to slump in a chair and just put your feet up. But doing this has been great motivation for us to fire up our stamina levels and do something positive together as father and son.
“I’m so pleased Ryan agreed to cycle along with me as he’s full of fun and chatter and he keeps me going when I feel like flagging.”
The Run the Month campaign is a virtual challenge set up by Prostate Cancer UK for people to challenge themselves to complete a marathon distance during the month of January and help beat prostate cancer which affects one in eight men in the UK annually.
Ryan said: “We do it at weekends because there’s no school then and we’ve got more time. I’ve really loved it, so much that we’ve already done more than the 26.2 miles marathon distance.”
Steve said: “We usually cover between seven and nine miles at a time – all over the area, from Rhostyllen and Holt to Bersham and Rossett.”
Back at their home in Holt Steve’s wife Debbie and Ryan’s sister Amy, aged five, are hugely proud of the pair’s fund-raising feat.
Debbie said: “Amy and I really admire what they are doing. Steve’s always been a keen sportsman and it’s heartwarming to see him and Ryan directing their energies into something so worthwhile.”
Across the UK volunteers taking up the Run the Month challenge have so far clocked up nearly 140,000 miles and raised more than £951,000 with more funds still to come in.
For more details about the challenge visit: www.runthemonthme.prostatecanceruk.org
