Beginning from Portland Street to Manchester’s iconic Deansgate, Toby’s costume will be unmissable as he raises funds for testicular cancer.
Toby is taking on the AJ Bell Great Manchester half-marathon as part of his Big Ballsy Challenge - a campaign to run 500km across the UK to raise vital funs and spark life-saving conversations around testicular cancer, the most common cancer in young men.
The challenge, announced earlier this year by The Robin Cancer Trust, will see Toby tackle some of the UK’s most gruelling endurance events, having already completed the Brighton and London Marathons, he is set to take on a 100km ultramarathon, and a full-length run of Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England later this year. Toby’s mission? To get the nation #TalkingBollocks, breaking taboos, and saving lives.
For Toby, this challenge is deeply personal, as in 2011, he lost his older brother, Robin, to testicular cancer at just 24 years old. In the wake of that unimaginable loss, Toby and his family founded The Robin Cancer Trust to fight for early detection, better awareness and open conversations.
Toby Freeman, Founder and CEO of The Robin Cancer Trust, said: “After losing Rob, we made it our mission to make sure no other family had to go through what we did, and this challenge specifically is about saving lives by getting people laughing, talking, and most importantly, checking themselves.
“If dressing as a giant ballbag makes people stop, laugh, and learn how to save their own life - it’s 100% worth it. One awkward conversation could be the reason why someone catches their cancer early, and that’s what I’m doing this for - to save as many lives as possible.”
Despite being 96% curable when caught early, too many young men still don’t know the signs - or worse, feel too embarrassed to check. Toby wants to change that - one mile (and one giant costume) at a time.
The AJ Bell Greater Manchester run marks a major highlight in the Big Ballsy Challenge, which aims to raise £240,000, equating to just £100 for every man diagnosed in the UK each year ( 2400 cases each year).
The money raised will power The Robin Cancer Trust to continue its life-saving work in schools, universities, workplaces, and communities nationwide.
To support The Robin Cancer Trust or get involved in the Big Ballsy Challenge, visit: www.therobincancertrust.org/bigballsychallenge
About The Robin Cancer Trust
The Robin Cancer Trust is the UK’s dedicated germ cell cancer charity, raising awareness and providing support around testicular and ovarian cancers.
Founded in 2012 by the Freeman family after the loss of 24-year-old Robin Freeman to a rare form of testicular cancer, the charity exists to save young lives through early detection.
Through powerful digital campaigns, school talks, and community outreach, The Robin Cancer Trust has reached million’s of people online, hundreds of thousands of young adults in the community, and delivered life-saving cancer awareness talks to over 100,000 students across the UK.
For more information, visit: www.therobincancertrust.org