Harrogate man runs every day for a year in wife's memory
- Published
Chris Gatenby said Georgie was "fun and so thoughtful, always putting others before herself"
A man who has been running every day for a year in memory of his wife who died of lung cancer aged 37 has raised more than £57,600 for cancer research.
Chris Gatenby started the Jog For Georgie runs in February last year, six months after his wife died.
He has run two miles a day to fund a lung cancer research scholarship at the University of York.
Mr Gatenby, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, said his wife was remarkable and always wanted to help others.
"As soon as Georgie got ill she wanted to do something to fight lung cancer and help others, and we decided she'd do the runs when she was better," he said.
"But she never got better, so I've done it for her."
Mr Gatenby did not miss a run in 365 days, clocking up more than 700 miles.
"Some runs were harder than others but I thought of what Georgie went through, that's the motivation," he added.
"I'm going to miss this running year."
Chris Gatenby on the penultimate run of his year of running
Mr Gatenby said a day of rest was planned for his first run-free day.
He broke his initial target of £25,000 in 16 weeks, before deciding to raise enough funds for a PhD.
Dr Dawn Coverley, from the university, said: "Having an extra researcher will help us progress a little bit faster towards new ways to treat people."
- Published13 February 2018
