JEFF STELLING
I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I’d ever be lacing up my walking boots again.
However, the chance to take on one more challenge in support of Prostate Cancer UK and also pay tribute to broadcaster and Wycombe Wanderers fan Bill Turnbull was too much to resist.
It’s why I’ll be walking from Wembley to Wycombe’s Adams Park on Sunday, September 17 – and I’d love you to join me.
I’ve previously done ten marathons from Hartlepool to Wembley and 15 from Exeter to Newcastle, among others, so at least I’ve just got one to do this time!
Since we launched the new charity fundraiser at Wycombe Wanderers on Monday, people have been asking me if I’m looking forward to it. The answer is: no, not at all!
I thought I was 33 marathons and out. Since my last one in 2021, my body size has increased significantly and my knees are worse. I’m not lying when I say I’m a bit apprehensive, but it’s all in the mind – at least I’m hoping that’s the case!
Most people are capable of walk ing 26 miles so when your feet start to ache and body starts to chafe, you have to win the mental battle and keep going.
Motivation
I believe the walk is a fraction over the marathon distance, but what could be a bigger concern is the hills around Wycombe that people have been telling me about.
I haven’t noticed them before because I’ve been in the car, but the good thing is that by the time I get to High Wycombe I’ll feel as though the finishing line is in sight and that’s a big motivation.
A few years ago, the finish line of one of the walks was at Forest Green Rovers. It was like the Matterhorn leading up to the ground so at least nothing can beat that!
I’ve been told the walks I’ve done have helped raise around £1.4m for Prostate Cancer UK which is something I’m really proud of. I don’t take any credit, though – I’m just the flag-waver at the front.
When I did the first one, the fundraising was a side issue. It was more about raising awareness of prostate cancer, which is the most common cancer in men.
The statistics tell their own story – one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and this rises to one in four for black men, so it’s something we should all be aware of and early detection can make a big difference.
When I started supporting Prostate Cancer UK, the first person I needed to make aware was myself. What I was told, going into research labs, hearing about people who got it – it gave me an insight into what it’s really like.
Of course, it’s nice that we can do this latest march in honour of Bill, whose life was cruelly cut short by prostate cancer.
Although our paths crossed fleetingly, we shared so many similar values and we trod similar paths in our careers. We also embraced true underdog spirit in the teams we passionately followed, me with Hartlepool United and Bill with Wycombe Wanderers.
His support for not just Prostate Cancer UK but for everyone affected by this awful disease was incredible. Those people he touched with his story, and those lives he saved by going public, that’s the legacy he leaves.
Sadly for Bill, he was diagnosed too late. His subsequent mission was to inform men and their families about this disease and ensure others don’t go through what him and his family did.
Walking to Wycombe in memory of him is the perfect way to contin- ue his legacy, and for those other men lost to this disease.
I’m sure any temporary pain on the walk will be well worth it. Now where did I leave those boots?
You can sign up to join Jeff Stelling’s Football March and raise crucial funds for Prostate Cancer UK by clicking here
