Katya Batchelor was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, shortly after she returned from climbing Machu Picchu in Peru with her husband Duncan. Even though she was perfectly fit and healthy, she tragically died 10 weeks later, aged only 49. 

Duncan, along with his and Katya's children, Sasha (OH 19-24) and Anna were determined to honour Katya's incredbile life and decided to fundraise for Cancer Research UK and to raise awareness about bowel cancer. 

They created 'Team Katya' and signed up to run the Tonbridge half marathon. The team was made up of Tom Horrell (OH 19-24) and 17 other family members and friends, some of whom had travelled from abroad to take part in Katya's honour. They ran as a team, and the first six members (including Sasha and Duncan) crossed the finish line arm in arm in a very impressive one hour and 56 minutes. 

Duncan reports that  “there were various levels of running experience in 'Team Katya', although the half marathon was a challenge for all of us, emotionally and physically. We were so glad to have to have so many friends running with us to support us.”

Duncan added: “Katya was a talented and special person. She was kind and selfless and appreciated real and meaningful things – the people she loved, her home, her garden, her friends. She has left many memories to treasure. And she would want us to get the message out there that bowel cancer doesn’t just affect older people – it can happen to younger people too." 

As well as their fundraising run, the family is supporting Cancer Research UK’s Stand Up to Cancer campaign, a joint venture between the charity and Channel 4, which speeds up life-saving research by taking developments in the lab and accelerating them into new tests and treatments for patients.

So far the family have raised an incredible £100,000, and counting, in memory of their beloved Katya. You can find out more about their campaign here, and read a news report about the campaign from the BBC.

Anna, Sasha, Katya and Duncan 

All of us in the Tonbridge Society congratulate the Batchelor family for completeing the half-marathon and wish them all the very best with their campaign.