'Wiped out' Worthing runner recovers fitness to honour her uncle at Brighton Half Marathon in aid of Brain Tumour Research

Emma Balchin, 34, was 'wiped out' by a chest infection at the end of last year but she has been working on her fitness to get back on track for the Brighton Half Marathon on February 25.

She will also be running the New Forest Marathon in September and is aiming to raise a minimum £2,740 – enough to fund a day of research at any of the four Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence.

Emma said: "The Brighton Half looks like a fairly nice, flat route and it’s by the seaside, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’m a bit nervous, though, because I got wiped out by a chest infection in December and am still recovering.

"It will be quite interesting to see how quickly I can get up to 13 miles in the next five weeks. I’m just hoping to recover my fitness quickly.”

Thanks to her hard work in training, Emma is 'almost back to normal' and now building up her distance for the big event.

She added: “I love the freedom of running and am fortunate enough to live next to the South Downs. Once you get up to the top, you can look down on the seafront and the houses, which is beautiful. I just love it.”

Emma, a seamstress, will be running the 13-mile race with a friend but will be completing it in memory of her 'wonderful' uncle, Howard Taylor.

Howard, a grandfather-of-three from Disley, Cheshire, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) in July last year following a seizure six months earlier.

He had debulking surgery followed by radiotherapy but, sadly, continued to decline and passed away just a few days before Christmas, aged 70.

Emma said: “He was a really wonderful man and just the kindest guy. He loved music and even taught one of his granddaughters to play the guitar and ukulele."

To support Emma’s fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/page/emmabalchinrunsforbraintumourresearch

Emma said: "It’s pretty incredible to think about what could be done with greater investment in research, and that I, and those who sponsor me, can help to play a part in that.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “With one in three people knowing someone affected by a brain tumour, Howard’s story is, sadly, not unique.

"Brain tumours kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer, more women under 35 then breast cancer and more children than leukaemia, yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.

"We’re determined to change that but it’s only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure. We’re really grateful to Emma for taking on this challenge for us and look forward to cheering her across the finish line on race day.”