A Harrogate father-of-three who lost his wife to blood cancer 48 hours after her diagnosis is set to take on an epic five-day 'Peaks & Pedals to the Palace' challenge.
James Badger will climb the UK’s three highest mountains, cycle from Snowdon to London and run the London Marathon – all in five days – to fund vital blood cancer research.
James, who lost his wife Philippa to an aggressive blood cancer called acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), just two days after her diagnosis, is preparing to take on his toughest challenge yet to raise money for life-saving research.
James, his wife and their three young children were visiting Robin Hood's Bay in the spring of 2022 when Phillipa said her legs were feeling a bit tired.
He said:
"We did not think too much of it, but that evening she felt a bit worse so she rang our GP. She had blood tests and was told she had acute myeloid leukaemia. After receiving a blood transfusion, she was transferred to a hospital in Leeds but died shortly afterwards.
"It was such a sudden shock for my family, for us all. Going from being a normal healthy person and a normal family to dealing with this in less than two days. The hardest thing I ever had to do was tell my three children that Mummy had died."
Between 21–26 April, James, a director at the food store chain Morrisons, will attempt “Peaks & Pedals to the Palace”.
He will begin by completing the National Three Peaks Challenge, climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within 24 hours.
As soon as he finishes, he will get on his bike and cycle from Snowdon to London, before completing the London Marathon.
Since Philippa’s death, James has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Blood Cancer UK to support research into AML, one of the hardest to treat blood cancers.
Just one in three people diagnosed with some of the hardest to treat blood cancers survive, and for AML that is as low as one in five people surviving for five years.
Research is urgently needed to change the outlook.
James said:
“Philippa was an incredible person and an amazing mum to our three children.
"After losing her so suddenly, I wanted to do something positive in her memory and help fund the research that could stop other families going through the same heartbreak.”
His previous challenges include cycling 1,600km from Land’s End to John O’Groats in eight days, and completing an “Everest” cycling challenge in the Yorkshire Dales by riding up the same hill 90 times, passing the churchyard where Philippa is buried on every climb, with friends supporting him along the way.
And last year he cycled 500km over three days on a vintage tandem bike from Harrogate to London arriving in time to run his first-ever London Marathon!
The fundraising has already enabled Blood Cancer UK to fully fund a research project into AML at Cardiff University and James now has his sights set on fully funding another project at the University of York.
James said:
“It’s incredible to see people’s money going to researchers who are working so hard to find better treatments. It makes every mile, every climb and every challenge feel worthwhile.”
Along the cycling route from Snowdon to London, James will also be stopping at several Morrisons stores, where volunteers will be supporting the challenge with bucket collections to raise further funds.
The ultimate goal is to fully raise £300,000 to fund a full three-year research programme into AML.
Matthew White, Director of Fundraising at Blood Cancer UK, said:
“What James is doing in Philippa’s memory is incredible. Acute myeloid leukaemia is one of the toughest blood cancers to treat.
"Just one in three people with the hardest to treat blood cancers survive five years after diagnosis, and for many patients, treatment options are still very limited.
"The research James is helping to fund could lead to the next generation of treatments for AML and that’s why challenges like this matter so much.”
James will document the challenge on Instagram through the account Team Badger Blood Cancer, where supporters can follow his progress throughout the five days.
Listen to Your Harrogate's Pete Egerton speaking to James below:
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