PEOPLE in Bude are gearing up for this weekend’s #TAL19 event, which will see local people willing to do something fun, challenging and great for charity take to the paths and roads of Bude in aid of Talan’s Trust.

Talan’s Trust, a local cause, formerly ‘Talan’s Journey’, is in memory of Bude teenager, Talan Penny, 19, who sadly passed away earlier this year after living with a rare form of cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma.

All money raised from this event is to be donated to the Chris Lucas Trust, which aims to fund research into this type of cancer and the awareness around it. Talan would have celebrated his 20th birthday on November 21.

With 158 solo runners, seven pairs, eleven teams of four and over 50 signed up for the fun run, people are raring to go for #TAL19 on Sunday, November 19.

The day will consist of two events — the 1.9k fun run for anyone under the age of 17, and the main 19k run for anyone aged 17 and over. The main event will commence at Bude Surf Club at 11.30am sharp.

Talan’s mother and one of the main organisers of the event, Sarah Penny, told the Post: “We are, as ever, overwhelmed by all the support from the people of Bude. The #TAL19 is almost a half marathon and not an easy course, so therefore not for the faint-hearted. People who have never run have trained hard for this, to be part of a team, and in a few cases running the whole thing!

“Most of Talan’s peers are running the race, and have been keeping me posted as to their progress with messages like, ‘Hi Sarah, ran eight miles of Tal’s route today’. I’d say, ‘Wow, well done, how are you feeling?’ — ‘ruined’, comes back the reply. They keep me going, making me laugh and cry in equal measures.”

Another exciting prospect is the visit of Lynn Lucas, the mother of Chris and the founder of the Chris Lucas Trust, who will be coming to Bude for the weekend from Cumbria to start the race.

Sarah added: “She is a powerhouse of fundraising and I am very much looking forward to meeting her and discussing the future of Talan’s Trust and how we can take the Trust forward.”

Something Sarah and the team behind Talan’s Trust are passionate about is the statistics in child cancer support, and increasing the new chemotherapy treatments for children.

Also new to the Trust are the newly designed Talan’s Trust long-sleeved t-shirts, with colours in orange for adults and white for children available. Orange shirts are £20 and white shirts are £15.

Entries for the event are now closed, but those wishing to show their support can meet at Crooklets to watch the runners take off.

The 19k run will start at Bude Surf Club, Crooklets, on November 19 at 11.30am, with a briefing at 11am. The fun run will start at 10am.

For further information and to follow events and posts by Talan’s Trust, go to Facebook and search ‘Talan’s Trust’.