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I'm sorry to those who don't agree that this is the right forum but I know that some of you knew 29erKeith (whether in person or virtually on here) before his passing of cancer aged 35 last year. He fought like a total hero.
I freely admit that I'm trying to find some closure in this but I'm also trying to raising some money for Bloodwise (his favourite charity) along the way.
I'd be hugely grateful to anyone on here who can spare 30 seconds to read my story. And if you happen to have a spare fiver, well this is as good a home as any:
Done mate. I didn't know the guy at all but bloodwise is close to my heart as my old bosses son had leukaemia for something like 4 of his 8 first years of his life before getting the all clear.
I lost my best mate last year to a heart condition so I'm doing a charity ride for the BHF, like you to get closure and just to feel like I'm at least doing something to help. My ride is less extreme than yours though.
Good luck with this.
Done good luck with your fund raising
Thank you, I can't express how much it means to me.
Let me know how I can return the favour.
Thanks Postie, thank you.
Done
Done- and good job, it's so hard to bring some good from a shit situation.
Thanks Bregante, really appreciated
Thank you Northwind. Really been at a loss for months but the training for this is helping.
Done and I hope you get the level of support your efforts deserve.
If this helps bring closure or takes you closer to it that would be good.
Done,good luck dude.
Done, my sons mate going through it at the mo. He's only twelve.
Done. Best of luck.
6am. You'll be up for training now then?
Event sounds like hell, good luck, donated.
Done. Good luck!
Done. My mums got leukaemia. Keep us updated on the training.
Done. Sounds like one heck of an event but it'll be worth it. A close friend has been through the mill with lymphoma so I know how tough it can be. Good luck with it all!
Done.
Good luck. 🙂
Reminded me that I had not donated all my xmas money - so that my christmas lunch you just got! Keep make sure you report back on your efforts
Nice one
I have just checked in on my page after a hard running session this morning and I am absolutely blown away by your kind words and generosity. The kindness of strangers and all that. It's still a decent World.
FrankC
Trap
Jk
Jamj
Picton
Sillyoldman
Clink
GTTH
Senor J
TJ
And everyone who's donated anonymously so far or just took 10 seconds to look at my page and pause for thought, you're all special people. Thank you.
STW is a proper decent place!
Done
Done. Good Luck!
good luck mate. done
Done, Keith was a pleasure to know and a sadness to lose. I hope his family are doing as best they can.
Good luck Nathan, a great cause
I gave myself four months starting last night to hit my sponsorship target, thinking if I worked really hard at it I might just get there. Thanks to the most amazing generosity of people on here I'm going to be close to getting there inside 24 hours. That would be amazing and would mean I can do more. Cancer doesn't respect limits.
If you can, please help me do this.
Donated. Had a few posts on here with Keith when I was going though Prostate Cancer treatment and always found him inspiring....
Happy to donate to a great cause to hopefully beat Cancer 🙂
CB 7 years in remission
I gave myself four months starting last night to hit my sponsorship target, thinking if I worked really hard at it I might just get there. Thanks to the most amazing generosity of people on here I'm going to be close to getting there inside 24 hours. That would be amazing and would mean I can do more. Cancer doesn't respect limits.
Works both ways, we need updates and photos of just how hard the training is... 😉
Done, best of luck, have lost a lot of family members due to various cancers, a truly worthy cause 🙂
Done, smash it.
Picton don't worry I'll make sure you don't forget about me over the next few months 😉
Last time I did a road marathon I couldn't walk for 2 weeks and I have to do one in April as a "training run". That'll be fun.
They'll be video updates from throughout the day as well. 4am start, finish cut-off at midnight
Done.. All the best mucker
Donated - I have had a few similar sad stories recently, so it's good to see something positive. Best of luck with the event.
Done. close to my heart this one
35? Bloody hell 🙁
Done.
You've picked one heck of an event OP, it's going to be tough.
btw...time to set a new target 🙂
Donated ...
Best of luck ... keep us all up to date on how it's going .
You lot are all absolutely amazing
Done.
My 5 year old is into his final year of treatment for leukaemia so know how invaluable all the cancer charities are. Best wishes and good luck.
Bump.
If you've missed this, please read and.....
Donated 🙂
Any chance of this being made a sticky please Mods?
Done. I was moved by your eulogy to Keith, great friends like you help make it all worthwhile.
Smash it.
And this:
we need updates and photos of just how hard the training is...
🙂
Done. All the best.
done
good luck with your event.
sounds impossible to me , all that effort in one day.
Done
Good Luck with your event! Keep us informed of how it goes.
good on ya.
Done.
That's one hell of a challenge; good luck.
Bloodwise is very close to my heart after an uncle I was very close to lost his battle with Lukemia at the age of 30. The first bone marrow transplant didn't work but the second one did. Unfortunately the second round of treatment was too much for his organs to take.
He too didn't listen too much to advice; we went skiing seven days after his first transplant and lived life to the full for those two years.
Done, all the best with the training and first and foremost, enjoy it. A very good friend of mine died when he was just 18 from Leukemia, often wonder what he would have made of himself.
Done.
He would be so proud of you, what a friend! Good luck.
What a great forum STW is 🙂
Done, all the best to you mate
Forgotten my JG log in but will look it up tomorrow in work. I've sent myself an email to remind me 🙂
My mum died last year of lymphoma (but she at least managed a ripe old age). So this is (very) personal for me too.
Good luck, hope it brings you what you need as well.
I'm in
Curto, I assume you're in the SOuthampton area. If you want somebody to do the odd training ride with, get in touch. Won't be doing any hundred milers but even if it was for part of your ride it might make it less of a grind.
Done. A truely worthy event in his memory. Best of luck.
Just one more quick update from me for the time being. Together we've raised nearly £4K inside 36 hours. That is way beyond what I thought would happen in 4 months and a huge credit to STWers.
It's been interesting reading people's own experiences on here - please keep sharing. I'll be posting updates occasionally to let you all know how I'm getting on.
Thank you so much to all of you, this is going to make a difference.
If you want to do some 100 milers then pm me. Im in Hants and a closet roadie . Not 0530 though, that is waaaaaaay to early, 0630 however not so bad.
Nearly £4K and you made this happen curto80. What a friend you are to do this for a mate.
Agree with jamj1974 - if it wasn't for you, Curto, this wouldn't have happened; your determination to honour your friend's memory; your determination to make a difference; your willingness to push your body to extremes.
All 'we' have done is donate money and provide both words and offers of support.
I raise my hat to you - Chapeau!
Thanks for the kind words guys, it's been a great week and makes the training in the dark and rain all worth it.
Scaredy/singletrackmind - thanks that would be awesome. I'll post details of planned rides on here and we can work out if we can do some rides together and if anyone else from the Hants massif can join. Typically it's 100km ish either new forest or South Downs, distances will be building up especially after the Southampton marathon in April when I'll switch into bike phase of the training
Done, well done mate, best of luck with it. Shared the link with a few pals too so hope the love spreads
Cheeky self-bump seeing as today is World Cancer Day.
Done
Good luck
Thanks mate
done. best of luck mate.
Done. Good luck!
It was an honour knowing Keith. I can remember running the Meon Valley plod with Keith and I believe you were running it as well IIRC. It absolutely chucked it down. Keith didn't bat an eyelid just cracked on!
Best wishes to his family and son.
Hey James
Thanks for sponsoring me mate.
Yes i remember it well. K lent me his spare running smock which was literally what saved me from hypothermia that day. I'm doing it all over again later this month as part of my training - that will be emotional.
Coincidentally i have George and Oliver round for dinner tonight, G sends her love.
Hope all good with you buddy.
All well here thanks. Last year I finally married my long suffering other half after 19 yrs together! Still riding and doing the odd long distance stuff but not a patch on your challenge!
What is spooky is that I haven't looked at STW for literally months, especially as I ride more road than dirt these days, but saw your post.
Hope all goes well and I'm sure you'll smash it!
PS say hello back to George
Donated. Good luck.
Very sad to hear about Keith. Sounded like a great guy and a lesson to people taking life for granted. Don't waste it folks.
Best of luck Curto! Go for it!
Not wishing to appear crude by talking money, but wowzers..
Singletrack Anon 5 days ago
£1,000.00+ £250.00 Gift Aid
What a fab gesture.
Done. Good luck! And well done
Thats a very generous donation, chapeau to whoever it was.
Absolutely right. That person has asked to remain anonymous and I respect that but i hope they know just how much that means to me, to Keith's wife and everyone else who knew him. That said, the response of everybody on here has been unbelievable. Everybody who's contributed, or just stopped what they've been doing for a minute to think about the sh1t that people with cancer have to go through, are all amazing.
Mods, thanks for making this a sticky.
Someone on here is amazing. Wow!
Small donation done
Small donation. Heartbreaking, this world.
Hows the training coming along?
Donated.
I rode many times with Keith, mostly as part of a local group but occasionally just the two of us and never remember him grumbling about anything, not even my less than reliable sense of direction.
I last saw him 10 days before he died. Three of us went round that evening to say goodbye while we could and over a few beers we swapped news and Keith told us of the trials and tribulations he'd had dealing with bureaucracy in preparing for his own passing. He appeared to have taken the task on in the same way he planned for events or renovated his house. All or nothing. I got the impression he was perhaps being a little too thorough for George's liking but that was Keith and he had obviously gone to great lengths to try and make the transition as smooth as possible for his family.
Done. Only a tenner off 4.5K now. Good luck Nathan.
Small donation made, and hats off to the earlier anonymous huge donation, what generosity.
Good luck with a beast of a challenge.
Mostly B, I think I may have met you very briefly that evening. I vaguely remember popping in.
Thanks to everyone who's continued to support me on this.
Training going ok thanks. Cheeky half marathon before work this morning with some good sweet spot reps in there. Still concentrating on the running for now so not doing that much cycling.