A Virtual Marathon & a Half Marathon!

Team 4Com to take on the Bournemouth Half Marathon and colleague Ben Standish challenges himself to complete the Virtual London Marathon.

4Com staff are stepping up once again, all in aid of charity! On Sunday 10th October fifteen runners will make up Team 4Com taking part in the Bournemouth Half Marathon and raising money for Cancer Research UK, along with Ben Standish taking on the full 26-mile Virtual London Marathon at the start of the month.

Team members are training hard to ensure they are ready to run the 13-mile route from Hengistbury Head, along the Dorset coast, finally ending up at Lower Gardens in Bournemouth.

Ben Standish, a Director at 4Com, is taking on the mammoth challenge of the Virtual London Marathon. Ben has a very personal connection to Cancer Research UK and would like to raise as much money as possible for the charity which is very close to his heart. Ben’s story is written below in his own words:

“On my 39th birthday, 31st October 2019 I was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer. I was training for a charity triathlon with some colleagues from work and in the lead up kept on getting out of breath whilst on my bike riding along the seafront. I thought I was simply unfit and it wasn’t until I later collapsed at a local football match where I was found to be anaemic and a tumour found. Two weeks later I had an operation to remove half of my bowel and I started a period of preventative chemo. In April 2020 I had to stop chemo as I became too unwell to continue and in October 2020, after another set of scans, it showed the cancer had spread to my peritoneum.

Now being treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, I have recently finished my 18th round of chemotherapy with some excellent results. The cancer is currently dormant and no further spread has taken place. I am due for another set of scans at the end of November, but I believe miracles can happen!

Since being diagnosed, I have worked closely with Cancer Research UK with my main aim to promote cancer awareness for younger people and the symptoms it may have. Early detection is the key!

Completing the Virtual London Marathon is my aim, promoting awareness and raising as much money for the charity as I can.”

Cancer Research UK is a national charity with a vision to one day cure all cancers. 1 in 2 people in the UK born after 1960 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime. They commit millions of pounds each year towards cancer research projects that will run for up to five years, as well as further funds spent on information and influencing work. Cancer Research UK funds research into all types of cancer; for every £1 donated to the charity, 87p is available to beat cancer.

Dean Cartledge, 4Com Director and Head of the 4Com Foundation, said, “This run is dedicated to everyone who has been touched or affected by this terrible illness. For the team taking part in the Bournemouth Half Marathon and for Ben taking part in the Virtual London Marathon, please give as little or as much as you can so we can raise £10,000 for Cancer Research UK.”

There is a dedicated JustGiving page set up for the event, as well as salary sacrifice donations from 4Com employees. The 4Com Foundation will also be match-funding every single pound raised so we can reach that all-important £10,000 target!

Please click here to visit our JustGiving page and donate!

Charity work is a central theme to everything we do here at 4Com, with over £350,000 donated to local and national charities since 2014.