SU President and others raise £50,000 in half marathon

Over 27,000 runners from all over the country participated in the Cardiff Half Marathon this year. Many of these were students who sacrificed their Saturday night-out to brave the thirteen-mile run in support of their chosen charities.

Cardiff University’s own marathon team #TeamCardiff consisted of 350 students, staff, sabbs and alumni all running in support of Cardiff University’s research fund. The team raised an incredible £50,000 in this year's race, providing funding for two ongoing research projects: Cancer Research and Neuroscience and Mental Health Research.

Cardiff University dedicates over 300 researchers to cancer research on four different themes, including Drug Discovery, Personalised Cancer Genetics and Clinical Trials.

In neuroscience, Cardiff Uni research aims to understand the genetics of mental illness. Their research investigates a variety of disorders that affect all ages, including autism, ADHD, Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s, to develop new methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

The Cardiff Tab caught up with Cardiff Uni’s SU president Jackie Yip to find about her experience running for Team Cardiff. Jackie completed the race in 2 hours 27 minutes and raised almost £500 alone for Team Cardiff.

What made you decide to enter the marathon?

“It’s such a milestone achievement to run a half! I go running fairly regularly but never any distances that particularly challenged me. Entering was an opportunity to really push myself and to do something really great for charity too!”

Why did you pick your chosen charity?

"The particular research project I was fundraising for was Mental Health, which is very meaningful for the students I represent and something I promise to support our students with."

Did you undergo any training before the marathon?

"Of course! It was intense and tears were shed, but it was worth every second! I need to thank all my friends and co-workers for motivating me to train with them!"

How did you find the experience?

"Difficult but super rewarding seeing all the amazing faces cheering you on as you did it and knowing I was raising all this money for such an important research project"

What advice would you give to future marathon runners?

"That it is tough, it can seem scary, but nothing can compare to the feeling you get afterwards! Being active itself is so good for your mental health so don’t be afraid to push yourself and try something you never thought you would be able to achieve!"

Hannah Sterritt, one of the organisers of team Cardiff, told the Cardiff Tab:

"Approximately 120,000 people are currently living with cancer in Wales, a figure which could be set to double by 2030. Team Cardiff’s contribution is helping to drive forward research in a field which is reliant upon generous donations to fund top researchers and cutting-edge technology.

"As mental illness affects 1 in 4 people every year, neuroscience research is vital in bettering the lives of patients – many of which may be students who rely upon mental health facilities and treatment to support them through their academic careers."

If you would like to participate in next year’s race, due to be held on 4 October 2020, registration is available here:

https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/donate/fundraise-for-cardiff-university/run-the-cardiff-half-marathon