Oli Verity is running the Yorkshire Marathon to support cancer patients like his younger sister

In February 2021, Oli Verity’s family received some devastating news: their youngest daughter, Lucy, was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Since his sister’s diagnosis, Oli has taken on a wide range of challenges to raise money for charities that help people in similar situations to Lucy. And as part of his efforts, he’ll be taking on our Yorkshire Marathon in October!

“Running a marathon is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Oli explains. “I started running a couple years back, and when Lucy first got diagnosed, I ran 24 miles in 24 hours to raise money for charity – so that was a mile on the hour every hour. I said that if I was able to run 20 kilometres in August, I’d run a marathon…and I did.”

Oli’s marathon preparation is going well. He has been running up to 10km each morning, and takes on a long run each weekend. Oli is at university in Belfast, studying aerospace engineering, and is hoping that returning to study for the new semester won’t impact his training too much.

Oli really admires how his sister has dealt with her cancer diagnosis and treatment. Since her diagnosis, she’s had multiple surgeries, radiotherapy, proton therapy, 14 brutal rounds of chemotherapy, and many other intense treatments, but she has stayed strong and kept her sense of humour throughout this challenging time. “She’s very stoic and stubborn,” Oli says. “She doesn’t let anything bother her.”

The Verity family, as well as their local community in Masham, have gotten involved in the fundraising. From car boot sales to charity suppers to bike rides to raffles, Lucy’s supporters have done almost anything they can think of to raise money.

They split the funds they raise between the Bone Cancer Research Trust and Teenage Cancer Trust, which are both charities that work hard to improve things for patients in positions like Lucy’s. Through their hard work, the family have raised over £35,000 for these organisations, which is an absolutely incredible effort.

We are delighted that Oli has chosen the Yorkshire Marathon as his next fundraising opportunity, and we encourage everyone to take a look at the family’s JustGiving page here. Best of luck Oli!