Father and son set to pound pavements of Paris to support St Catherine’s

A father and son are set to pound the pavements of Paris in a marathon run raising funds for St Catherine’s Hospice.

Fayyaz and Faisal Ali will run the 26.2 mile route taking in the famous Parisian landmarks before crossing the finish line on the iconic Champs Elysees on April 3.

Fayyaz is collecting sponsorship for his efforts for St Catherine’s, while son Faisal will also be supporting the hospice along with the Mind mental health charity and the Lilly Uganda charity which provides shelter, medical care and education for children in the African country.

The pair, of Southern Avenue, Preston, wanted to show their support for the charity after St Catherine’s cared for their mum/grandmother Zubeda in the summer of 2013.

Since then they have been involved in supporting St Catherine’s in many different ways – including by taking part in the Moonlight and Memories Walk, and speaking out about their experiences to help tackle some of the misconceptions which can exist around hospice care in the Asian community.

The Paris marathon is their latest challenge – and is set to be their biggest yet.

Fayyaz, a business analyst at UCLan, said: “Training for the marathon is turning out to be a real eye-opener for me because I’ve never done any sustained running programme before. I consider myself fairly fit and active – I play football twice a week and have taken up spinning – but pounding the pavements as a runner isn’t something I’ve ever done. The training is going well though – we did the Blackpool half marathon in February which was a good gauge of the progress I’ve made, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”

Faisal, aged 25, who has also taken part in the St Catherine’s Big Charity Bike Ride in the past, said: “I did the London Marathon a couple of years ago which was an amazing experience. I thought it was about time I set myself another challenge, so here we are! It’s nice that my dad and I will be taking part together in aid of some amazing charities.”

Fayyaz and Faisal will be joined in the French capital by various members of their family who will be cheering them on from the sidelines. Fayyaz, aged 56, said this, along with the knowledge that he is running for St Catherine’s, will spur him onto the finish line.

“St Catherine’s is a place which is very close to my heart,” he said. “Taking part in the marathon and raising funds for the charity is my way of giving something back for the wonderful service they provided for my mum. The only way St Catherine’s can continue offering this care to local people who need it is if people like me and Faisal show our support. The quality of care she received was fantastic and made such a difference to her and our family at that time. We want to help other families to have access to the same support when they are going through difficult times.”

To sponsor Fayyaz click here  and to sponsor Faisal click here

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