Nic Clarke, the events manager for Cancer Research Wales, shares with us his story about how and why he started to run, and how Cancer Research Wales are using TeamCRW Running Club, their Run Wales registered social running group, to support the mental and physical health of their members and staff whilst also raising funds and awareness for the charity.
Established in 1966, Cancer Research Wales is an independent charity that spends all its research funding here in Wales. It is also the only charity that’s wholly dedicated to funding research into cancer in Wales – that’s all they do.
The charity’s goal is to unite Wales against cancer through world-class research. It has already funded research projects across Wales including Swansea, Cardiff, Bangor and Wrexham with more than £35 million to help with earlier detection of and better treatment of cancers.
We rely on public support to do this, and we already have around 1,000 runners taking part in our events this year to help fund this work.
We’ve got people running for us in events right around the country – from the Barry Island 10K; the ABP Newport Marathon Festival; the Wrexham 10K; the Newtown 10K and the Cardiff Half Marathon.
With 1 in 2 of us now expected to develop cancer during our lifetimes, the need for research into this disease and the public’s support to fund that is greater than ever.
Supporting TeamCRW Running Club
Cancer Research Wales is a great charity to work for and I get to spend my day helping people achieve their running goals, whilst also supporting the research we are doing here in Wales is amazing.
As well as getting to support all of our fantastic fundraising runners I am a runner myself; a running coach; a race commentator and race director.
I love to get to know our runners, read their stories on their fundraising page, understand their motivation. When we meet up on race day it is like meeting a friend who you have got to know and now you get to meet face to face.
The running community is very supportive, and through our Clwb Run Wales partnered running group TeamCRW we provide training and coaching advice support each other as we raise money for this great cause.
Our runners have benefited with the affiliation they get from joining Clwb Run Wales, including discount race entries and support when running around the UK and in Europe. We have also taken advantage of the partnership between Welsh Athletics and Mind by registering two volunteers to receive free training to become Mental Health Champions for Team CRW.
We are delighted to have recently set up our first Couch to 5K group as a way to support Cancer Research Wales staff start their running journey, helping with fitness and health both physical and mental. The staff have been inspired by the numbers of supporters who have signed up to support us.
On race day you only have to look around and you’ll see our smiling runners in their DNA-inspired Cancer Research Wales stripy tops waiting for the starting gun.
So why should you run?
For me, it could be that I don’t enjoy cycling, I’m not good with heights and it take me ages to get into a swimming pool.
Running for me is a way to help stay active, the physical side is good for health, and there is so much benefit for mental health as well. A run on your own or with friends is a great way to reset your head. You need to concentrate on what you are doing and that helps clear your head of any other stresses.
Taking up a challenge for a charity gives that extra incentive of doing something for others, and also the accountability to the training and fundraising. It is harder to back out of a challenge once you have told people what you are doing and why.
How I got involved with running
I became involved with running and mass participation events when I was asked to host and commentate at a new event that was coming to Cardiff.
From small beginnings – 350 runners, that event grew as did the requests from other race organisers for me to commentate at their races.
I trained as a race director and delivered races across the UK as well as supporting new race organisers and students studying event management. I’ve been very fortunate to work on some of the UK’s largest and most well-known races.
Distance before time
The one thing odd thing was I didn’t run, or rather thought I couldn’t, due to knee injuries at the age of 17. That all changed in 2019, when former colleagues encouraged me to take up the Couch to 5K challenge.
Despite my protests about dodgy knees, I started to improve my time, writing about my running, and tracking my progress, then one day I looked at my right knee which was now double the size of the left one.
It was a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy – I had told people I had issues with my knees and now I did again. A very good friend and former athlete saw me one day, with my heavily strapped knee and commented “You were running too fast!” He was right I should have continued to follow my plan and build up steadily.
6 months of recovery and suddenly the world changed as we all went into lockdown. Like so many others during the Covid pandemic I had time on my hands, I would go for a daily walk, but found I was bored. One day I thought I would jog to every other lamp post and gradually over time increased the number of lampposts I jogged past.
I remembered the words of my friend and made sure I stuck to a steady pace, in my own words ‘Distance before time’.
More capable than I gave myself credit for
Within a few weeks I was back to 5K and took up a virtual challenge to run the distance of the Welsh Coastal Path 870 miles. Each day I would run and record my distance. I tried to get from 5K to 10K which was a challenge but with help and support from some friends I managed it.
One of my friends ran a 10K with me and commented that I was more capable than I gave myself credit for. With events still on hold, London Marathon launched a virtual marathon to be completed in early October 2020. With some encouragement from friends and family the next thing I knew I was training for a marathon, and then completed it.
So, I guess my message is, I’ve gained a lot from running and it’s become a very big part of my life.
Why don’t you give it a try? Join a local social running group or sign up for Cancer Research Wales run and help us unite Wales against cancer.