Man kicks off 55-marathon challenge in city
Adam Rodriguez, 28, from Bath, is undertaking this challenge to raise funds for a cancer charity, inspired by his mother's fight against cancer.
Starting his first marathon in Hereford on July 5, Adam will run in 55 English cities, concluding in Salisbury in June 2026.
The runs will all be on weekends, as Adam works full-time, and he plans to track his progress using a Strava device.
Mr Rodriguez said: "A few years ago my mother bravely battled large B-cell lymphoma in three places and while she survived, the journey tested every part of our family."
He wants to raise money for Move Against Cancer, a charity that supports people affected by cancer.
He is keen to meet participants and ambassadors of Move Against Cancer's 5k Your Way initiative during his challenge.
He said: "It's going to be such an honour joining the participants and ambassadors of 5KYW across the country.
"These are the people creating community, encouragement and strength at a local level and I'm excited to hear their stories, share the miles with them, and highlight the real impact Move Against Cancer is making on the ground."
He admits the real challenge will be recovery, especially on weekends with consecutive marathons.
Despite this, he remains optimistic about completing his goal. You can donate to his JustGiving page here.
His mother, Sharon, is fully supportive and confident in his success.
Sophie Mulligan, MOVE Against Cancer's fundraising officer, said: "He's given up a whole year of weekends to take on this epic challenge and to do it in support of MOVE Against Cancer means so much to us."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ruthless FSG strike AGAIN as Liverpool close in on agreement
Rebuilding a squad is known for being a long and arduous process, but Liverpool have mastered it. When areas of the team are in need of improvement, the players find a way to dig deep in times of need and then when the stars align, the club will take immediate action, almost in one fail swoop. Shop the LFC Store 🚨2025/26 LFC x adidas range🚨 LFC x adidas Shop the away range TODAY LFC x adidas Shop the home range today! LFC x adidas Shop the goalkeeper range today LFC x adidas Shop the new adidas range today! The strategy itself is bold, and the fans often struggle to get their heads around it. Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are defying the norm by acting this way, but so far at least, it looks to be successful. 🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas away range Summer 2023 was the first major example in recent times and summer 2025 has followed suit, although each transfer window focused on entirely different areas of the team. It's remarkable. © IMAGO - John Henry FSG FSG's ruthless squad rebuild strategy Let's take the 2023 window first, just to make it clear what I'm trying to get at here. Jurgen Klopp's midfield was in a state of disarray. Years of working the players raged had taken its toll and the high intensity approach was really starting to dwindle. The Reds finished fifth in the 2022/23 season, dropping points in half of their games, missing out on Champions League football. Throughout that summer a number of bold calls had to be made and while replacements were drip-fed in, we saw Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner all leaving. £52m was brought in from their departures. The latter three left with expiring contracts. Bringing money in for their replacements wasn't the objective here. Each of the players had been great servants for the club over the years and the team needed a cash-injection to revitalise it. And that's exactly what happened. Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott remained at the club, but we saw four major additions brought in - Alexis Mac Allister for £35m, Dominik Szoboszlai for £60m, Ryan Gravenberch for £34m and Wataru Endo for £16m. The midfield had been totally rebuilt for £145m. Completing such a feat in just one transfer window was mind-blowing and while the players took a little bit of time to get themselves sorted, the Reds improved their Premier League points tally by 15 points, finishing third in a shock title race with Arsenal and Manchester City. Now, two years later, we're witnessing yet another ruthless rebuild, focused on the defence. Trent Alexander-Arnold decided to run down his contract to join Real Madrid on a free transfer, although Liverpool still managed to get £8.6m from his departure, letting him leave a month early. Furthermore, Jarell Quansah was sold for £35m after Arne Slot decided he wasn't at the required level and we're now looking at a potential outgoing move for Kostas Tsimikas before deadline day. That left us with Andy Robertson at left-back, Conor Bradley at right-back and an ageing Virgil Van Dijk, contract rebel Ibrahima Konate and a rarely un-injured Joe Gomez available at centre-back. Prior to the 2025 transfer window opening, Jeremie Frimpong's move from Leverkusen was all-but confirmed and Milos Kerkez's move from Bournemouth was a poorly kept secret. That was the full-backs sorted for £70m - not a cheap package, but understandable given the market right now. And now we're set to make two more transfers, with Fabrizio Romano suggesting that both Marc Guehi at Crystal Palace for £35m and Giovanni Leoni at Parma for £30m will likely join. Making four defensive signings in a window is pretty rare. Supposing the two deals are completed over the next two weeks or so, Liverpool will have some remarkable depth to utilise this season. The old regime of Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate and Bradley as a back four; and the new regime of Kerkez, Guehi, Leoni and Frimpong as a back four. Slot's team now has every dynamic imaginable. Of course, this year's business has been completed alongside moves for Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Giorgi Mamardashvili, with two young goalkeepers and a striker also signed under the radar. And you might think of sporting director Richard Hughes and chief executive Michael Edwards as the geniuses behind the masterpiece that has been Liverpool's transfer window this time around. But if you remember, the 2023 window was masterminded by Jorg Schmadtke, a German managing director who had to temporarily fill-in while the executive hierarchy and recruitment team evolved. It was FSG that sanctioned the money being spent then and two years later it's FSG at it once again. Everyone's thoughts on the ownership will have changed over the last 15 years. There have been more highs and lows than you could imagine. And rightly so, John Henry caught some flack at times. But this last few years has been extraordinary. The Reds have been put back on their perch as the most successful club in England and the transfer decisions reflect that. We're a huge European club. And so whether you approve of Liverpool's spending or not - trust me, it took a while to sink in - the business that is being completed makes sense with the defence, and the midfield rebuild was exactly the same. Ekitike's move was really quite expensive and Alexander Isak's fee, if the Swede joins, will blow it out of the water. But FSG are experienced professionals, they know what's required. The Liverpool of old might have been frugal, but the club's ruthless streak is my new favourite thing.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Watch out for MASSIVE exit as Liverpool close in on double-signing
Liverpool are closing in on two brilliant signings right now. But watch out for a massive exit on the back of them. Liverpool hope to complete multiple transfers before the window closes. Alexander Isak is, of course, at the top of their list and the dream signing. That's been the case all year - but Newcastle United will not make it easy. We'll just have to see how the remaining days of the transfer window play out. Shop the LFC Store LFC x adidas Shop the home range today! LFC x adidas Shop the goalkeeper range today LFC x adidas Shop the new adidas range today! But he's certainly not the only one on the agenda. Liverpool aim to bring in both Marc Guehi and Giovanni Leoni. That's a pair of centre-backs, then, and at a time when there's arguably a lack of room for both. Could the Reds actually give decent playing time to each of them? Well, there's one way... 🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas away range Ibrahima Konate's future Ibrahima Konate has one year remaining on his contract. Just under that now, actually. He's yet to agree on a new one at Liverpool, essentially forcing their hand a bit. The club needs to consider life after Konate and they appear to be doing just that. There is one spot in the squad, certainly, after Jarell Quansah left. But with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez both around, five centre-backs seems like overkill. Unless Konate is leaving. Real Madrid want to sign him and while their plan is currently to make that happen in 2026 on a free transfer, there has been talk of an offer this summer.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Match reaction: Steven Schumacher on Wanderers' cup defeat against Wednesday
STEVEN Schumacher felt there were positives to take from his side's Carabao Cup exit against a youthful Sheffield Wednesday. Wanderers had started the night as heavy favourites, given that the Owls side contained five debutants and eight players from their academy. They never led on the night but pulled themselves level on three occasions with 10 men before being beaten 4-2 on penalties. Schumacher felt his side had shown reasonable spirit to keep themselves in the contest after Sam Inwood's straight red card on the half-hour but that his players could have made better decisions after getting themselves back on level terms. Asked about his biggest disappointment on the night, he said: 'That we lost - that we are out the cup. That is the most disappointing thing. 'I felt there was loads of positives though, let's look at the positive side of it as well. We competed with 10 men for two-thirds of the game and did really well. 'We created loads of good chances, scored three really good goals, but also conceded some poor goals, so (there is) loads to learn from.' Schumacher had made 10 changes from the side which beat Plymouth, bringing Tyler Miller, Ethan Erhahon, Daeshon Lawrence and Charlie Warren in for their first starts. 'It was the right thing to do because the lads who played at the weekend put in a right good shift,' he said. 'We go to Oakwell on Saturday in a league game, that's so important, and we need to be fresh for that. 'And there's also, as you can see today, players that need to play, because they need to get up to speed. 'Tyler Miller gets his first opportunity, Chris Forino started against Stockport but needs to get up to speed. Sam Inwood, again is another player that needs to play, because if we're going to need him, if Jonno (George Johnston) gets injured then he's got to be ready. 'Aaron Morley and Ethan Erhahon. Again, Ethan hasn't played for us or hasn't started, Aaron Morley has started once, so everybody has to play. It was the right call.' Inwood was handed a straight red card by referee Oliver Langford for a professional foul on Charlie McNeil – a decision which brought no complaints from the Bolton boss. 'I thought it was the red card,' he said. 'I thought when we turned the ball over we didn't drop quick enough, and the lad has got in behind us and Sam took him out, so the ref had no real decision to make. It was definitely the right call.' Miller was given his debut in goal on the same day his one-year contract was announced by the club. The American keeper had not played a competitive game since July last year when he turned out for DC United in a 5-0 defeat at Orlando City. He spent time at Notts County in League Two last season but did not play a first team game and has been training with Wanderers since last month hoping to earn a contract. 'Teddy (Sharman-Lowe) has got a big gash in his knee from Stockport, when he got thrown into the advertisement board, so we've been having to manage that with his training loads, and give it a bit of time to heal,' Schumacher explained. 'Plus, again, he's an important player for us, and if he was to get injured tonight or whatever then we'd be left short. 'So, he is our number one goalkeeper, and Tyler's been in the building for a few weeks and needed the game.' Asked how the 32-year-old fared on the night, Schumacher added: 'He was OK, but to an extent. It looks as if he was rushed a little bit at times, he has not played competitive football for a long time, so he is a bit rusty. 'But overall, I'm guessing he's pleased he's made his debut, and he's one game better off in his preparation if he's needed again.'
