Running for Bury Hospice

Leon Horrocks runs the Manchester Marathon

Leon Horrocks runs the Manchester Marathon in memory of his Great Grandad.

“It was a great day and a great experience,” said Leon Horrocks, speaking of the Manchester Marathon, which he ran at the weekend (Sunday 14th April), in support of Bury Hospice.

Leon strapped on his neon running shoes and took on the 26.2 mile challenge, which started and finished in Old Trafford.

After months of training, Leon and his dad, who was his pace setter, were stood ready alongside thousands of other runners, all racing towards the finishing line.

Leon ran in memory of his Great Grandad, Robert Mahoney, a former Radcliffe resident and patient at Bury Hospice.

He said: “My Great Grandad stayed at Bury Hospice while he was ill; all the staff are lovely and were great towards him.”

The funds Leon has raised will go far in supporting patients across the borough to receive the best palliative and end-of-life care, both onsite and in the comfort of their own homes.

Leon with his Great Grandad, Robert Mahoney

This year’s marathon was the biggest yet, with a record-breaking 32,000 runners hitting the streets of Manchester.

Leon said: “I had to really push myself for the last 2-3K, as cramp and my achy hamstring came into play.

Despite this, Leon was really happy to have achieved his target of completing the race in three and a half hours, he said: “My dad helped me to reach my target; with him being my pace setter, I didn’t set off too quickly. 

“Being able to not only run the Manchester Marathon, but to run it with my dad was really special.”

Bury Hospice is mostly funded by kind donations from our local community who deeply value the care we offer, which is planned around each person as an individual.

Leon said: “Having the atmosphere around me, being able to run past my kids who were cheering for me, and raising money for this great charity, pushed me on! It was a great day and a great experience.”

You can support Leon via his Just Giving donation page, head here:

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