It is often claimed that a full marathon of 26.2 miles is the ultimate test of endurance both mentally and physically, with the London Marathon being the pinnacle in the United Kingdom. But determined father James Rudolf is not just planning on running the London Marathon on Sunday 26th April, but also running 160 miles (250km) back to Cardiff , beginning on his youngest son, Oscar’s, 6th birthday and finishing on May 1st, which will be a year to the date that Oscar received his first chemotherapy treatment for a rare and aggressive childhood cancer.

Oscar was diagnosed last April at the age of just 4 with Ewings Sarcoma, a soft tissue cancer that affects fewer than 30 children in the United Kingdom each year. Since last April, Oscar has received cycles of intensive chemotherapy every 3 weeks, numerous CT scans, MRI’s, a Hickman Line inserted permanently in to the chest, had a catheter fitted for 2 months, countless blood and platelet transfusions as well as 8 weeks of proton radiotherapy in the USA. James will be running this incredible distance in aid of of the Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity LATCH, who have done so much to help Oscar, and the rest of the family over the last ten months. James has explained: ‘The support Latch provide for children and their families is massive; big things like arranging the logistics of Oscar’s treatment in the US and paying for flights for Oscar’s brothers to visit him over there, and smaller but no less important things like going to Tesco to buy meals and teabags for us when we’ve been staying in hospital with Oscar for prolonged periods. They provide fantastic play staff to keep the children busy and happy while they’re in hospital and family accommodation above the children’s oncology ward, which is critical to families who can live over two hours away from the hospital. They fund the purchase of medical equipment which can be outside of NHS budgets and a range of clinical projects. They work incredibly hard to make life easier for families going through extremely tough times.’

Along the way James will be supported by a wide range of close friends and family including us here at Agile Therapy who will be supporting James through all his training needs be it new custom orthotic insoles for his trainers, a sports massage for tight muscles or nutrition advice on how to keep energy levels up over the run as well as being there all along the way on his incredible journey from London to Cardiff. Our Director David Saunders has volunteered to travel by James’s side to provide all the help he needs to complete his challenge. James and David will also be joined by Oscars ‘odd mother’ and Agile Therapy Operations manager Claire Hamilton along the route too!

Please watch this video about the inspiration that young Oscar has been over the last year.

Read more about James’s journey on his just giving page here(https://www.justgiving.com/james-rudolf1/) and route here (http://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/8619632). If you want to know more about what LATCH do, please visit their website at http://www.latchwales.org/

Follow James and David’s journey through the Agile Therapy Facebook and Twitter pages.

If you wish to donate please use our hashtag #StayAgile