Record Number of RCT Runners Take on Half Marathon

Team RCT came out in force for the Colchester Half Marathon on Sunday 8th March, so far, our amazing team of runners has raised £40,000!

Not only did we have a record number of Robin Cancer Trust charity runners taking on the 13.1 miles to raise funds for us, but we also had so many RCT volunteers get involved, giving up their time to help set up and support the event.

The funds from their efforts will make a huge difference to our life-saving work and allow us to continue saving lives. We can't thank everyone enough for their generosity and enthusiasm.

The Robin Cancer Trust had 83 charity runners take part, collecting fundraising £40,000 for the charity, so far. The fastest Robin Cancer Trust runner was Jason Pritchard, who finished in a time of 1 hour 19 minutes and 24 seconds.

Charity runner Patrick Frank completed the race dressed as a giant testicle. As a testicular cancer survivor himself, Patrick explained: “Wearing the costume was a super fun and rewarding experience, with so much support from the spectators. Some runners came up and shared their cancer story, and I shared mine.

“Knowing I was going to wear the costume I planned to take my time, high five every kid along the route and I really enjoyed it. That last stretch to the finish line was awesome and I had so much fun throwing my arms up and pumping up the crowd.”

Toby Freeman, CEO and Founder of The Robin Cancer Trust, said: “We’re so grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s Colchester Half Marathon such an unforgettable day - from the runners taking on the challenge, to our sponsors and partners supporting us, to the volunteers and marshals who kept everyone safe, and to the people of Colchester who came out to celebrate and cheer. Thank you to everyone who made it the biggest and best Colchester Half Marathon yet!

“What makes this event so special isn’t just the thousands of people running; for causes, for loved ones and for personal bests - it’s the lasting impact in our community. All proceeds from the event go towards The Robin Cancer Trust’s life-saving cancer awareness and support work, helping us educate, engage and empower more young people in Colchester and beyond.”

You can still show your support for the team by donating to the Just Giving page here.

Our amazing team of volunteers were up very early on Sunday morning, arriving while it was still dark to help set up, man the bag drop, park hundreds of cars, organise race registration, raise awareness at our charity stall and hand out thousands of medals on the finish line.

Our volunteers stayed long after the last runner crossed the finish line to help take everything down. We couldn't host events like this without the support of our dedicated volunteers.

The Colchester Half Marathon is owned and organised by local charity The Robin Cancer Trust, the UK's only testicular, ovarian and germ-cell cancer. To find out more about our life-saving work, please visit our website.