Ross Connell, (25) and Rory Fish (25) of Bristol, will be taking on the Edinburgh Virtual Marathon in memory of Calum Glendenning who passed away on 30 November 2008 due to kidney failure. Tim Beecroft (25) of West Stockwith will also be running in memory of Calum. Due to the pandemic the marathon is virtual this year, so the trio will be running their own improvised Bristol Marathon Route on Saturday 29th May.
Every single day around 20 people will develop kidney failure and currently around 63,000 people are being treated for this in the UK. When your kidneys fail, harmful wastes build up in your body, your blood pressure may rise, and your body may retain excess fluid, leading to ankle swelling and shortness of breath (water in the lungs). When this happens, you need treatment to replace the work of your failed kidneys; usually in the form of regular dialysis and ultimately a transplant. However, sadly every single day one kidney patient will die in need of a transplant.
Rory said: “It’s a tragedy that kidney disease still cuts too many lives short. Two functioning kidneys is something I personally take for granted as do most people. Now that we can (hopefully) see an end to the Covid-19 pandemic, we wanted to put ourselves through another testing physical activity to celebrate Calum’s life and raise a bit of cash to help all those who are battling and suffering from Kidney problems every single day. As novice runners looking to really push ourselves (and make Calum chuckle), we agreed to train for a 3.5-hour time for our first marathon. A decision we have certainly questioned over the last few weeks!”
“Cal had buckets of talent (and hair gel), not least as a star cricketer, and I know he’d have gone on to do incredible things. I also know he’d be grinning at the idea of Ross, Tim and I huffing and puffing our way through 26 miles in his memory. Calum had a great life and achieved so much in his 13 years that he remains an inspiration to those of us fortunate enough to have known him. We are raising money for Kidney Care UK (previously British Kidney Patient Association) because they are a fantastic charity who work tirelessly to help improve and bring happiness to people’s lives with the work they do. The charity organised a fantastic trip for Calum back in 2008 and I know the money we raise will similarly go to helping kidney patients like Calum, both with their treatment and with the opportunities to really get out and enjoy life.”
"The charity organised a fantastic trip for Calum back in 2008 and I know the money we raise will similarly go to helping kidney patients like Calum, both with their treatment and with the opportunities to really get out and enjoy life."
Robert Hope, Head of Fundraising at Kidney Care UK adds: “To lose someone so close to you because of kidney failure is heartbreaking, and sadly there are around 40-45,000 premature deaths due to kidney disease every year. It is a testament to the impact that Calum made in his life that his friends are willing to do so much in his memory. We’ll be with them every step of the way and can’t thank them enough for choosing to help the charity in memory of Calum.”
Currently Ross, Rory and Tim have raised around 80% of their target of £4,000. If you’d like to find out more about their progress or would like to sponsor them, you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamcalglen