Freckleton woman will remember her dad during the London Marathon

A Lancashire woman will be wearing a constant reminder of her dad when she runs in the London Marathon later this month.
Laura GoodbournLaura Goodbourn
Laura Goodbourn

Laura Goodbourn, 31, originally from Freckleton, will take part in the 26-mile run in memory of her dad, Bob Mayes, who died of a rare cancer last September, aged 67.During her run on April 22, Laura will be reminded of him when she looks down at the trainer tags he bought her not long before he passed away. They say ‘When your legs get tired... run with your heart.’She will be raising money for World Cancer Research Fund’s cancer prevention and survival work and aims to raise more than £2,500.Laura, an assistant data manager, who now lives in Plymouth, said: “When I found out dad had cancer, I decided to apply for the London Marathon. He told me I’d better get training, and that he wished he could do it with me. It was such a shock when he passed away and it’s going to take us a long time to truly accept that we won’t see him again. He was such an amazing man, and he was loved by everyone who met him.“I decided to apply for a charity place to run for World Cancer Research Fund because their work is different from many other cancer charities. Their research focus on prevention, which I think is relevant to every single person. Working for Plymouth University’s clinical trial’s unit: Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit (PenCTU), I see day to day the importance of clinical research and I really wanted an opportunity to fund exceptional research. After all, prevention is better than cure.” Laura has never run a full marathon before, but has been training hard, including completing the Plymouth 10K in September last year in one hour seven minutes. Gerard Cousins, director of fund-raising at World Cancer Research Fund, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Laura for her fantastic support. It’s thanks to the amazing efforts of people like Laura that we can continue to help the public make more informed lifestyle choices to reduce their risk of cancer.”To support Laura, visit: http://www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LauraGoodbourn