Luke Jacobs, who studied at Hymers College from 1989-96 told us about competing in the Lake District Ultra Challenge 2023 in memory of his mother, Kay.

Unfortunately, my mum was diagnosed with a grade 4 brain tumour in September 2020 and died in January 2022 aged 69. The doctors gave her 6 months to live without treatment and no more than 18 months to live with treatment. Treatment involved surgery (craniotomy), followed by 4 weeks of radiotherapy and 10 months of chemotherapy. The treatment is really tough and if it works, it might only give an extra 12 months… mum got an extra 8. We wondered whether it was actually going to be worth the suffering of the treatment for so little gain, but my mum wanted to go through with it, to give more precious time with her loved ones. 

Mum moved in with me, my wife Tanya, and 2 teenage daughters Lola and Poppy. We cared for her and tried to make the last year of her life as enjoyable as possible. Every day rain or shine she would go out for a walk. Usually accompanied but occasionally just walking up and down the drive with a walker for support.

That was my inspiration to do the Ultra Marathon in the Lake District on 10 and 11 June to raise money for Brain Tumour Research and improve the treatment and life chances for sufferers of brain cancer. 100km (62 miles) over 2 days from Kendal to Ambleside around Lake Windermere to Newby Bridge (day 1) down to Cartmel and back to Kendal (day 2). If mum could walk every day despite how ill she was, I could do 100km.  

I managed to persuade my wife, sister, brother, and other family members to get involved and take part in shorter distances that the organisers, Ultra Challenge were offering. KTs Crew was formed.

My training regime in the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Wolds was tough but the challenge of the hills in the Lake District was another level, with the mercury peaking at 29 degrees in Ambleside on the Saturday. It was absolutely brutal out on the rocky trails and many participants had to withdraw due to the extreme conditions.

Thankfully I and the team were able to stay hydrated enough, dug deep, and remembered how much money was riding on us completing the challenge. After 17 hours of running and hiking I crossed the line at Kendal Rugby Club. I was just so happy to have finished and to be honest in the conditions to still be alive!! Much to my surprise, I discovered I’d finished 7th overall and 3rd out of the men who had started the 2-day challenge. It was completely unexpected and the absolute icing on the cake after an epic couple of days.

Most importantly of all I have raised £2,000 for Brain Tumour Research and KTs Crew, as a whole, close to £7,000. That vital money will be used to discover new treatments to increase the odds and prolong life for those suffering from the worst forms of brain cancer and hopefully one day a cure.

Massive thanks to all those Old Hymerians who have already donated and sent messages of support. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Luke Jacobs, OH 1988-96

If you would like to donate, please visit Luke's Just Giving page.