A Highworth father who didn’t think he would see his mid-30s due to a terrible condition is to undergo a mammoth undertaking to celebrate reaching his 50th birthday.
Having been diagnosed with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) at the age of 24, Richard Bailey from Highworth is running from Bordeaux to Barcelona to raise money for Bowel Cancer UK.
FAP is a rare, hereditary condition in which a person develops numerous precancerous polyps called adenomas in the large intestine, more specifically the colon and rectum.
Polyps usually develop when someone is in the teen years or early 20s.
Richard said: “The number of polyps in my case is in the thousands, and with increasing age, the polyps get larger and more problematic.
“Eventually, one or more of these adenomas will become cancerous.
“Without treatment, patients with FAP have a nearly 100% lifetime risk of colorectal cancer.”
Running across the Pyrenees via Andorra, Richard will attempt the 570km ‘solo and unsupported’.
He has been planning this run for the past five years as a way to celebrate reaching his 50th birthday.
“I was originally told that without a diagnosis I wouldn’t have made it past my mid-30s and I have been moving the goalposts ever since,” Richard said.
The run was originally supposed to be through the Nakasendo Trail run in Japan but Covid restrictions mean he had to turn to Plan B, which would still include around 550-600km and contain mountains.
Having spent the last few months training and preparing for this run, he doesn't think he'd want to do it again.
Richard said: "Just the last month alone, I have been running four marathons in the space of three days over each weekend and it’s tough.
"I have a full-time job 2 children one of which is about to turn 3 years old and a wife who is supporting me, but I have hardly seen them.
"I don’t think I want to put them or myself under this pressure again."
So far, Richard has managed to raise over £2,500 but is hoping to raise more by the end of his run.
He is starting the run on his 'birthday Sunday' on April 3 and is expected to finish the run in about 10 days, with a 35 miles daily average.
You can find the fundraiser here.
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