"He was an inspiration": Lewes man to run London Marathon in memory of father lost to brain tumour

Nick Bacon will be taking on the 26-mile challenge in memory of his dad, Jonathan Bacon, who lost his fight to a debilitating brain tumour on November 5, 2021.

Nick said: "Despite being given a terminal diagnosis a few months into retirement, my dad maintained a positive mindset throughout his illness.

“This is a true testament to his character and his gratitude towards life - he was an inspiration to those that knew him. His spark, intellect and mischievous personality will be deeply missed.

"I’m running it in memory but also raising money for the charity to help try and assist other families, so they don’t have to go through the same thing. Brain tumours are can be terminal, so if there is anything I can do to assist with that, then I will.”

Nick’s dad, an avid runner and neuroscientist, lost his mother to cancer at the start of the millennium and decided to run the London Marathon in 2001 to raise money for Macmillan – one of Britain's largest cancer support charities.

In April this year, Nick chose to attempt a similar feet, despite having no real prior running experience.

But with less then a week to go, the 26-year-old says he is ‘excited’ about being on this Sunday’s start line and is aiming to finish the run in under four hours.

He said: “I’m feeling good, I'm nervously excited, I've had a few injuries and niggles, but I'm ready as I can be I guess.

“It’s a really tough challenge, I wasn't much of a runner and the training has been really tough.

"But I’ve enjoyed the process, some of the long runs are quite tough, but its all for a good cause and a good memory, so I'm going to give it my best shot.

“I’m not the sort of person that gets nervous before stuff, but being on that start line will be a mixture of nerves and excitement.

“The last 10km is going to be very difficult, it will be a physical challenge as much as a mental one.”

The Brain Tumour Charity is a UK-based charity dedicated to funding research, raising awareness of brain tumours, reducing diagnosis times and providing support and information for people with brain tumours, their families and friends.

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So far, Nick has raised £3,794 for the organisation and is aiming to have gathered more then £4,000 before Sunday.

Nick said: “As a neuroscientist, Dad spent much of his life dedicated to research and science. Unfortunately, in this instance, science could provide no cure - GBMs and other types of brain tumours remain terminal.

To donate to Nick’s cause, click here