1 week Ago
Steph and Gareth Netherton are raising money for the charity after their close friend, Roger Ryman, former head brewer at St Austell Brewery, spent his final days at Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell. The couple are taking on the 26.2-mile challenge this Sunday, April 27, despite not being regular runners.
Gareth said: "I’ve been kind of dragged into the marathon. "I entered the public ballot expecting to be rejected and got in on my first attempt. "Then Steph entered for Cornwall Hospice Care and I joined her.
"My good friend Roger Ryman , former head brewer at St Austell Brewery, died at Mount Edgcumbe. "It still feels raw that he isn’t here. "He was a strong guy, really well known and really well loved.
Roger Ryman was St Austell Brewery's popular head brewer before his death in 2020. (Image: St Austell Brewery) "This challenge has given me my chance to give something back for the care he received at the end of his life and that makes me feel good." Gareth met Roger through gig rowing, which was his passion until the Covid pandemic.
He said: "Gig rowing is where me and Roger met. "Then Covid came along and stopped me rowing and that’s when cycling became my passion. "I’m not a runner, but I have to be one now as I’ve got 26.
2 miles to do. "The mid-week short runs aren’t too bad, they’re over in 30 minutes, but it’s the long runs of 15 and 16 miles that give you time to start thinking and that’s when I think of Roger and the hospice and I realise running is the easy bit." Steph and Gareth with Naomi from Cornwall Hospice Care (Image: supplied) Steph said: "Gig rowing was always my sport until the Covid lockdown and then like so many others, I turned to running.
"However, this is my first long distance event. "It’s about pushing my body. "When I’m on my training runs I think that at least I get to run, many others don’t get that chance.
"I also appreciate that getting older is a privilege so I just want to push my body while I can.".
