Northamptonshire pals to take on Jeff Stelling’s grueling 26-mile March for Men challenge in aid of cancer charity

A group of pals from Northamptonshire will be taking on a grueling 26-mile walk next month in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.

Dominic, Ryan and Andy Peverell, Mike Clark and Ben Smith have signed up for the London leg of Jeff Stelling’s March for Men.

The group will walk a marathon around the capital city with Jeff and hundreds of other men wanting to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer.

On September 4, the walk route will incorporate stops at Millwall Football Club, Chelsea Football Club, Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur and will be the last leg of the Soccer Saturday presenter’s annual four marathons in four days challenge.

Father and son trio - Andy, Dominic and Ryan - will be stepping out in the challenge for the third time, Ben for the second and Mike for the very first.

The newcomer from, Barton Seagrave, said: “I’ve had a lot of family members who have all had various cancers and some have died of various cancers in the past.

“It might not have been prostate cancer but this is an opportunity - through friends - to get involved.

“I believe there is a crossover with funding and research for other cancers, so I feel like we are doing some sort of good.”

Since signing up to the challenge, the group has tried to complete a shorter walk of around eight miles and a longer one of ten or 15 every week.

With just over two weeks until the event, they are also planning a long training walk of 20 miles to ‘build confidence’.

As well as raising awareness and funds, Mike says the challenge has given him the push to exercise more and a chance to socialise following the pandemic.

The 34-year-old added: “There is a personal fitness and social aspect to it as well.

“It has been really good to get out, especially at the moment as I’m working from home all the time.

“I have not done the walk before, like the others, and I didn’t really do any exercise before other than golf, which I'm not sure counts.

“We started the training with a walk from Kettering to Wellingborough so that was throwing me in at the deep end but I’m now really looking forward to the event.

“I think it will be excellent to be there on the day and I think the atmosphere will be great. Although I’m nervous about how hard it will be.”

‘Team Strolling’, as they are known, has already smashed the £1,500 fundraising target they set for themselves, but they are keen to raise even more.

To support the walkers, visit their JustGiving page here.