North Yorkshire father-of-three James Badger, whose wife died 36 hours after being diagnosed with blood cancer, has raised more than £110,000 from his latest challenge – taking his fund-raising total for Blood Cancer UK to more than £400,000 in just three years.
Mr Badger cycled 500km over three days on a vintage tandem bike from Harrogate to London arriving in time to run his first-ever London Marathon!
Supported by a group of friends and work colleagues, James and his team rode from St James’s Church in Birstwith, Harrogate, where his late wife Philippa is buried, to the Excel Centre in London, arriving in time to pick up his race number for last month’s London Marathon.
James, whose son Thomas is a pupil at Belmont Grosvenor School, in Birstwith, cycled on a 42-year-old vintage tandem bike. Fellow BGS cycling dads Yemi Adeleke, Nick Wilcock and Richard Baldwin joined him on the marathon 500 km ride.
Over the three-day intensive cycle ride from Harrogate to London, the cyclists were in the saddle for up to 13 hours a day as they completed 240km, 200km and 80km rides over the three days.
When they arrived in London, there was no time to rest for Mr Badger and friend Adam Ellis, who ran the London Marathon the next day in a time of 4 hours and 2 minutes.
“We have raised £110,000 so far, which is amazing. Over the three days, myself and the team endured one crash, one broken bike, one exploding rear tyre and lots of tired limbs – and that was before we even started the London Marathon,” said Mr Badger, whose three children Isabel, Alice and Thomas were on the finishing line to support their dad at the end of his latest fund-raising challenge.
It is James’ third epic challenge since his wife Philippa, 42, died of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) in 2022. The disease currently has a survival rate of just 10 per cent.
Since then the Morrisons supermarkets director has dedicated himself to raising £300,000 to fund a Blood Cancer UK research project into AML in his wife’s memory. His fundraising has already helped launch a ground-breaking three-year AML research project at Cardiff University.
His latest fund-raising efforts are supporting a research project at York University led by Professor David Kent. The project will test a new tool to understand the differences in the shape and structure of cancerous blood cells – understanding these differences could unlock new ways to treat leukaemia.
“In between getting off the tandem after cycling over 500km and running the London Marathon, we hosted a fund-raising event in London where we heard from a survivor of the type of Blood Cancer that Philippa had, who only survived because of research funded by the charity. This is such positive news.
“Acute Myeloid Leukaemia is a cancer that desperately needs more research – this is why I am doing these challenges, not only to raise funds but raise awareness about the urgent need for better treatments,” he said.
“The marathon itself was hot and painful but we finished and am now exhausted!” he laughed!
Matthew White, Executive Director of Engagement at Blood Cancer UK said: “Blood cancer is the UK’s third biggest cancer killer, yet it often doesn’t receive the same level of attention as other cancers.
“James’s determination to turn grief, into a positive force to fund critical research into blood cancer is truly inspiring. Thanks to fundraisers like him, we are getting closer towards kinder treatments and ultimately saving lives.
“But there is still much more to do, and support from the public is crucial in making this life-changing research possible.”
