Groats launch for marathon cycle
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CANCER patients from all over the country will be setting off from John O’Groats this week at the start of a marathon cycle run to London.
They are taking part in an event called The Ride which they hope will challenge public perceptions of the disease.
Organiser, Réka Pataky, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the end of 2010, said she hopes the trip will make people realise that diagnosis does not mean the end of a healthy and active life.
The 37-year-old mother-of-three from Hull said: “Most people have an image of cancer patients as frail and very ill. We want to show that it is still possible to live well as a cancer patient and that being healthy and active will improve your quality of life. Making a positive effort to improve your own health makes you feel better and in many cases has been shown to improve the outcomes of treatment.”
The organisers would like cancer patients, former cancer patients and supporters to join them on the whole or part of the adventure.
The trip starts at John O’ Groats on Friday, July 13, and heads west to Tongue, then on to Inverness, Newtonmore, Perth, Edinburgh and Troon, which they plan to reach on July 18.
The 1000-mile trip will take the cyclists through Scotland and into England, Ireland and Wales before their scheduled finish in London on Saturday, July 28.
