Local man takes on coastal challenge for Cobalt

Alan Whitby from Tewkesbury will run the Great Welsh Marathon for Cobalt on Sunday 15 April.  The race is the oldest running marathon In Wales.  Alan’s race will take him along the picturesque coast of Llanelli where he will get to run along the Millennium Coastal Path which overlooks Llanelli Beach taking in a mix of scenic coastline and woodland, the Loughlan Estuary and Gower Peninsula, North Dock and Machynys.

Alan worked for the Engineering office of Allen Gears, a manufacturer of gearboxes in Pershore for 23 years, until retirement  in August 2017.  At 62 years old, he has kept a good level of fitness over the years. He ran his first half marathon in Tewkesbury back in 2004 and have since entered numerous events from 5K up to half marathon.  Highlight half marathons include the Great North Run, the Severn Bridge HM and Worcester City HM, where he won his age category last year.

Alan said “I am Welsh by birth, coming from Rhayader, in mid-Wales.  I just happened to see a picture of the finisher’s medal for the Great Welsh Marathon on Instagram and decided that I would like to have one of those to add to my ‘bling’ collection!”

Alan has set himself a £500 target which will go towards supporting the work we do to support local people affected by cancer, dementia and other conditions.

Kirsty Bradbury, Fundraising Engagement Officer, Cobalt said “Alan has already raised over £200 which is fantastic. Challenge events are a great way to raise money and we really hope Alan smashes his personal best target as well as his fundraising”

To support Alan, please visit his Just Giving Page and give what you can. Thank you.

Follow Cobalt on Twitter @cobaltfr or like @CobaltSupporters on Facebook.

Our  next fundraising campaign is around dementia.  We have set out to raise £150,000 to fund dementia research nurses, research trials using specialist equipment, free scans for patients with young onset dementia and a partnership with local hospitals to enhance facilities for patients with dementia and their families.