Twenty for Twenty

2024 marks a very significant anniversary for Ben Tranter and his family. It marks twenty years since Kevin Tranter, Ben’s dad passed away, aged 46 from bowel cancer.

To mark the anniversary and in memory of his dad, Ben will be completing twenty challenges this year – one for each year since his passing. The challenges vary from walking, running and cycling. Ben intends to complete all the major running distances including the Leeds Half Marathon in May and Yorkshire Marathon in October.

“I was 8 years old when Dad passed away and it took me a long time to process his death. I am a stereotypical ‘bury your head in the sand’ type of person so I’ve spent much of my life trying my best to hide from the grief, but I feel slightly more capable of talking about him now, along with the ups and downs I have been through over these last 20 years.”

For Ben, who will be running his first half marathon, the prospect of completing twenty physical challenges across the year is quite daunting. ‘But I am super excited and will give it my all to complete every single one in support of a cause that is very close to my heart.”

Ben will be raising money in support of St Leonard’s Hospice where his Dad was cared for in his final weeks. St Leonard’s Hospice provide palliative care and ongoing support to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. 

“With my head in the sand, I have always put it off but now it feels like the best opportunity to give something a go given the significance of time that has gone by and this is where the idea of ‘Twenty for Twenty’ came from. I thought to myself, why don’t you really challenge yourself this year and complete 20 different challenges for each year since Dad’s passing? What is the worst that can happen?! So here I am, I’m doing it and I can’t wait to raise as much money as possible for a worthy cause.

“St Leonard’s have been caring for patients and families for the last thirty-eight years and are a really important part of the care community in York. I know they shared a lot of care and compassion for Dad and my family in the hardest of times, and do so for countless families every single day.

“The photo I have shared is one of my favourite photos of Dad and I – Happiness encapsulated in a single moment in time. It was taken in the back garden of the house in Ilkley that I spent the first few years of my life growing up in – I was 3 years old in this photo.

“Thank you so much for taking the time to read about Twenty for Twenty and thank you, in advance, for any donations you wish to give along the way to help with this cause that is very close to my heart.”

Good luck Ben, we know you can do this!

To support Ben on his Twenty for Twenty journey, click here

To find out more about Ben’s challenge, following his journey progress here

Entries are still open for the Leeds Half Marathon taking place on Sunday 12^th May. For further details and to enter click here