A dad and his nine year old son are doing a stamina sapping combined run and cycle ride to support a charity fund-raising challenge.<\/p>\n
McCarthy Distribution warehouse manager Steve Jones, 40, and son, Ryan, are three quarters of the way through their money spinning mission in aid of Prostate Cancer UK\u2019s Run the Month campaign.<\/p>\n
The energetic pair have already raised \u00a3545 and have totted up 35 miles together already and are planning to go out on the road again to further bump up their total mileage count.<\/p>\n
Amateur sportsman Steve runs while Ryan gets on his mountain bike and pedals the distance alongside his hero dad.<\/p>\n
Steve said: \u201cIt\u2019s more a question of me chasing Ryan these days. I used to be the one setting the pace, but Ryan had a new bike for his ninth birthday and he leads the way now with me running along in his wake. I have a job catching up with him sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve who was recently promoted to manager said a big thanks to his amazing work colleagues who have supported the duo\u2019s charity venture.<\/p>\n
He is based at the McCarthy Distribution\u00a0 headquarters on Wrexham Industrial Estate. From there the McCarthy group offers logistics and distribution solutions for businesses across the UK. In addition it provides British Retail Consortium accredited food grade warehousing on a racked and block stacked basis.<\/p>\n
Steve, who oversees the warehouse operations, said: \u201cThere\u2019s a real team spirit here at McCarthy Distribution and we\u2019ve had so much support from my work colleagues, our friends and family members that it\u2019s been a fantastic morale booster, especially in the January weather. It\u2019s good to know so many people have got behind us and are cheering us on.\u201d<\/p>\n
They chose the Prostate Cancer UK\u2019s Run the Month campaign after reading about it online.<\/p>\n
Steve said: \u201cIt is an important charity and especially significant for men. We discovered they were looking for people to join in the challenge in January and being as we are two ‘blokes\u2019 we thought it would be a brilliant charity to support. It was the perfect opportunity to do something for a good cause while keeping fit and spending a bit of time together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve said one big benefit of doing the run and cycle ride is that he has got to spend more time with Ryan.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cSo often after a busy day at work it\u2019s easy to slump in a chair and just put your feet up. But doing this has been great motivation for us to fire up our stamina levels and do something positive together as father and son.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so pleased Ryan agreed to cycle along with me as he\u2019s full of fun and chatter and he keeps me going when I feel like flagging.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Run the Month campaign is a virtual challenge set up by Prostate Cancer UK for people to challenge themselves to complete a marathon distance during the month of January and help beat prostate cancer which affects one in eight men in the UK annually.<\/p>\n
Ryan said: \u201cWe do it at weekends because there\u2019s no school then and we\u2019ve got more time. I\u2019ve really loved it, so much that we\u2019ve already done more than the 26.2 miles marathon distance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve said: \u201cWe usually cover between seven and nine miles at a time – all over the area, from Rhostyllen and Holt to Bersham and Rossett.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back at their home in Holt Steve\u2019s wife Debbie and Ryan\u2019s sister Amy, aged five, are hugely proud of the pair\u2019s fund-raising feat.<\/p>\n
Debbie said: \u201cAmy and I really admire what they are doing. Steve\u2019s always been a keen sportsman and it\u2019s heartwarming to see him and Ryan directing their energies into something so worthwhile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Across the UK volunteers taking up the Run the Month challenge have so far clocked up nearly 140,000 miles and raised more than \u00a3951,000 with more funds still to come in.<\/p>\n
For more details about the challenge visit: www.runthemonthme.prostatecanceruk.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n