The official charity of the year for the 45th edition of the London Marathon is Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Pancreatic Cancer is the deadliest common cancer – more than half of people in the UK who are diagnosed die within just three months.
Thousands of people will be running and raising money for the charity, which is aiming to collect £2m to provide vital early detection tests.
Earlier in April, 797 pairs of running shoes, donated by survivors, supporters and families affected by pancreatic cancer, were displayed on the banks of the River Thames in London.
Among those running on Sunday will be Jo Curtis, who lost her husband, Stewart, to pancreatic cancer. Stewart, who had been training for the marathon when he was diagnosed, underwent successful surgery but the cancer returned a year later.
“A key thing for me has been that we can’t have gone through this for no positive to come from it. I kept thinking, ‘What can I do?’ There was a lightbulb moment where I thought, ‘I can do the marathon for him’,” Curtis told BBC Sport.
“My hope is that collectively all of us who are doing it on the day raise a significant amount of awareness for the charity, hopefully a huge amount of money, and that can prolong the life of a dad, a mum, a sister and allow them more time with their family.”
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