Horsham mum completes a half marathon - one mile at a time

It was all part of mum-of-three Rachel Talbot’s training for running in this year’s London Marathon on April 21 to raise funds for The Institute of Cancer Research.

And it’s a cause close to her heart as Rachel works as a research scientist for the charity based on its site at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton.

Rachel helps to screen potential new drugs. "I develop biochemical, biophysical and cell-based experiments to test new drugs made by our chemistry teams, to try and identify activity against our new cancer biology targets.

"So it is pretty much right at the start of cancer drug discovery pipeline, and hopefully I will play a part in finding a new cancer drug one day!”

Rachel says she will be running the London Marathon “for our research, for family, friends, friends of family, absent friends and family, colleagues, all patients, future patients.”

She says that, through her work, she knows first-hand how expensive it is to fund research. Essential equipment such as a box of disposable gloves costs £10.42 and a bag of test tubes costs £54.17.

“I also know how times are hard for everyone, and our money certainly doesn’t go as far these days. So I’m asking, if you can spare anything at all – no matter how small you think it may be – to keep funding cancer research, then I, and everyone at the ICR, would be incredibly grateful.”

See https://www.justgiving.com/page/rachel-talbot-1704916707255

Rachel, who has never run a marathon before, got well and truly into training on Saturday by running up and down Merryfield Drive and Redford Avenue in Horsham 13 times – equal to 13 miles.

Also giving her support was Rachel’s husband Ross and children Matthew, 12, Samuel, 11, and three-year-old Hannah.

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The Institute of Cancer Research says: “Our mission is to make the discoveries that defeat cancer. Our vision is that people can live their lives free of cancer as a life-threatening disease. We work on all cancer types including children's cancers, pancreatic, brain and lung cancer. Please support our work and help us defeat cancer.”