Press release -
Walking 10 marathons in 10 days in March? That’s unbelievable Jeff
Intrepid television presenter Jeff Stelling will embark on an epic charity walk in March to help tame prostate cancer.
Teaming up with leading men’s health organisation Prostate Cancer UK, the long-standing Soccer Saturday host will complete 10 walking marathons in 10 days, from boyhood club Hartlepool United to Wembley between March 21-30.
Clocking in at more than 250 miles, Jeff’s Men United March - menunitedmarch.org - will see the 60-year-old check in on 31 football clubs and he will be joined every step of the way by close friend, and Hartlepool United Chief Executive, Russ Green.
Setting off from Victoria Park, home of the League Two club, the duo will head south to Wembley Stadium connected by EE, a place Pools have never been.
En route, he will be joined by famous friends and colleagues and people affected by prostate cancer while Carlsberg have signed up as a supporting sponsor. On Monday, March 28th staff from the household beer and beverage business will join him on the route from Northampton to Milton Keynes, raising vital funds in the fight against prostate cancer in the process.
He launched the Men United March live on Soccer Saturday this weekend, at the end of a first person piece on the fortunes of his beloved Hartlepool, the first time he has ever filed a report for the show.
Jeff said: “I deal in statistics – but the ones we are dealing with here are shocking. One man dies every hour from this disease, that’s six in the course of Soccer Saturday every week. One in eight men will get prostate cancer, and for black men the odds are even worse at one in four.
“Prostate cancer is not discerning. It doesn’t just hit the bad guys; it’s the good guys as well. I’ve got friends such as Sky Sports rugby league colleagues Bill Arthur and Eddie Hemmings who I have known longer than I care to remember. Both are great guys who have been affected by prostate cancer and I’ll be meeting more men like them along the way.
“That’s why I’ve signed up for this challenge. I’ve run marathons and climbed Kilimanjaro. There were also some nice fundraising opportunities to go and walk on the Great Wall of China or maybe go to Peru, but they sounded too much like jollies to me. I wanted to do something where people could see I was feeling the pain on behalf of a fantastic cause.
“Within the next ten years Prostate Cancer UK believes they will find the answers to make this disease something men and their loved ones no longer fear. I’ve met the scientists who pledge to do this and I can see how dedicated they are. But do to this we need to raise vital funds – and I need everyone to support me and all the men affected by prostate cancer by visiting menunitedmarch.org and pledging their support.”
Prostate Cancer UK is the Official Charity Partner of The Football League and 25 clubs are represented along the route, through the heartlands of England.
Stelling will also stop off at five Premier League clubs as well as Non-League side St Albans City before an emotional finale along Wembley Way on March 30th.
Angela Culhane, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Jeff’s been a huge supporter of ours for many years, and has seen first hand the dangers of this disease through some of his closest friends in the business, and we are fully behind him on his epic Men United March.
“Walking 10 marathons in 10 days is a remarkable challenge. With each and every step Jeff and those who support him will help us as we tackle prostate cancer head on.
“The power of football consistently helps us reach out to men. We are very grateful for the continued backing from Jeff’s colleagues at Sky as well in allowing him to take this on.
“This challenge is once again a perfect example of what we call Men United; people getting together and doing something great to beat prostate cancer. On behalf of everyone affected by this disease I say thanks, and in the words of his long-time colleague Chris Kamara, it’s ‘Unbelievable Jeff’.”
To support Jeff, and find out more about his challenge, visit menunitedmarch.org.
Topics
- Diseases
Categories
- marathon
- russ green
- jeff stelling
- prostate cancer uk
- prostate cancer
- men united
- football
For more information, please contact Gary Haines, Sport PR Manager at Prostate Cancer UK, on 020 3310 7079 or at gary.haines@prostatecanceruk.org.
About the Men United March
o Jeff’s Men United March is one of many events supporting Prostate Cancer UK’s bold aim to tame prostate cancer within a decade. Averaging ten walking marathons in ten days, Jeff’s Men United March will symbolise the challenge ahead and profile the charity’s ambition to ensure a disease, currently killing over 10,000 men a year, will be something the next generation of men need not fear.
o Along the route, he will also be joined by club chairs, chief executives, managers, League Manager’s Association members, former players and commercial sponsors to raise further awareness and funds.
o Money raised from the challenge will be used to help ‘shift the science’ and crack the three core issues of diagnosis, treatment and prevention which have been left unsolved for too long.
o Jeff’s route and dates is below:
Day DATE Weekday START MIDPOINT(S) END 1 21st Mar Mon HARTLEPOOL UNITED Middlesbrough MARSKE 2 22nd Mar Tues YORK CITY LEEDS UNITED 3 23rd Mar Weds DONCASTER ROVERS SCUNTHORPE UNITED 4 24th Mar Thurs ROTHERHAM UNITED Sheffield Wed Sheffield United CHESTERFIELD 5 25th Mar Fri DERBY COUNTY Burton Albion (car to Cavendish Bridge) Nottm Forest NOTTS COUNTY 6 26th Mar Sat WOLVES Walsall West Brom Aston Villa BIRMINGHAM CITY 7 27th Mar Sun COVENTRY CITY LEICESTER CITY 8 28th Mar Mon NORTHAMPTON TOWN MK DONS 9 29th Mar Tues LUTON TOWN St. Albans WATFORD 10 30th MarWedsAFC WIMBLEDONBrentford Fulham Chelsea
QPR
WEMBLEY
o To support Jeff, and find out more about his challenge, visit menunitedmarch.org.
About Men United and Prostate Cancer UK:
o Prostate Cancer UK has a simple ambition – to stop men dying from prostate cancer
o Through shifting the science over the next 10 years to focus on radical improvements in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and support, we can make prostate cancer a disease the next generation of men need not fear. Standing against injustice, Men United is Prostate Cancer UK’s movement for everyone who believes that men are worth fighting for. Already more than a quarter of a million strong, Men United will help Prostate Cancer UK raise its game - and the funds vital to beat this disease. Working together, we can stop prostate cancer in its tracks.
Key headline statistics
- 10000 men die from prostate cancer in the UK each year. That's one man every hour.
- It’s the most common cancer in men, with over 330,000 living with the disease.
- Without urgent action, prostate cancer is set to become the most common of all cancers by 2030 which is why we must all act now.
- Prostate cancer treatment often causes devastating, long term side-effects. Incontinence and erectile dysfunction strike at the heart of what it means to be a man.
- Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer may contact Prostate Cancer UK's Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383 or online via the Live Chat instant messaging service: www.prostatecanceruk.org/. The Specialist Nurse phone service is free to landlines and open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday with late opening until 8pm on Wednesdays.
- Visit prostatecanceruk.org now to help beat this disease.
About Carlsberg UK:
- Carlsberg UK is aiming to be the best beer and beverage business through household name beer and cider brands including Carlsberg, Carlsberg Export, Poretti, Grimbergen, Tuborg and Somersby Cider, as well as having the UK brand license for San Miguel and Mahou. It offers world and craft beers through its Crafted range, local and regional ales through its Tapster’s Choice collection, and hundreds of wines and spirits through its Crown Cellars portfolio. Importantly, the company is engaged with society, which means it embraces its responsibilities and always strives to do the right thing.
- To find out more about the company, its brands and Sustainability work, visit: www.wearecarlsberg.co.uk or follow the story on Twitter @CarlsbergUKCorp.
