A London recruitment director is preparing to run a marathon dressed as a giant brain, inspired by his mum who has brain cancer.
Jess Walklin and his partner Jessica Lowe, from Islington, will be running the TCS London Marathon on Sunday 21st April to raise money for research and help give hope to brain tumour patients and their families.
The 30-year-old pledged to wear the 5kg costume for the entire 26.2-mile race if their fundraising reached £10,000. After completing a 150km tandem cycle ride around Hyde Park on the hottest day of 2023 and hosting a successful auction and raffle night, the pair’s fundraising tally has already exceeded £15,000.
Jess took to the streets of London to road test his new costume ahead of the marathon, even navigating the turnstiles at the tube station, to the amusement of onlookers.
Jess’ inspiration for running the marathon comes from his mum, Caroline Walklin, who was diagnosed with a grade 4 oligodendroglioma in July 2022. Thankfully, it has more recently been downgraded to a grade 3.
The 61-year-old (pictured below with husband Chris and sons Jess and Harry), had fainted a couple of times and experienced episodes of sickness but was suspected of suffering from long-COVID when a scan revealed the truth.
Caroline, from Hampshire, underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and is now awaiting the results of her latest scan.
Jess said: “Mum was a school pastoral care worker and retired only about a month before her diagnosis. All the way through her treatment, she’s only cared about how it’s affected everyone else.
“Knowing there’s no cure is a hard reality and tough for us all to accept, especially when there are so many medicines and treatments for other cancers.
“With sufficient investment in research it must be possible to make a difference, which is why Jessica and I are determined to raise as much money as possible for the charity.”
To support Jess and Jessica’s fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/TheJesses
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