Barnsley FC Academy’s Corey Roebuck caught up with Reds in the Community Coach Gareth Cooke last week ahead of the duo taking on the London Marathon in April.

While both Corey and Gareth are both set to run the world-famous London course for the first time on the 28th April, their respective running experiences differ massively.

Gareth, a passionate runner, has completed over 30 marathons and, astonishingly, has run every single day since 30th November 2015.

In that period spanning well over three years, his running distance exceeds 19,000 miles!

Not only has Gareth competed in marathons, he also boasts the impressive feat of winning one, coming out on top in the 2017 Milton Keynes Marathon with a time of 2:40:08 – with his marathon personal best time being 2:29:35.

Corey, on the other hand, will be running his first ever marathon in aid of Leukaemia UK, a cause close to his and his family’s heart.

Leukaemia UK was founded in 1977. Originally named The Elimination of Leukaemia Fund, the charity supported the work of King’s haematology department but grew to be able to offer grants to blood cancer specialists in hospitals across the UK.

Over the last 40 years,  they have helped to make groundbreaking changes to blood cancer care. Less than three decades ago, there were no beds dedicated to the care of leukaemia patients at King’s and its haematology department was on the brink of closure.

Now, thanks to Leukaemia UK, there are four specialist blood cancer wards at King’s, including the superb Leukaemia Treatment Suite which, fittingly, is named after their founder, Derek Mitchell.

Corey, who was also a National Citizen Service (NCS) Wave Leader with Reds in the Community in Summer 2018, is hoping to raise £1,500 to help the Charity to continue with their fantastic work.

Last week, the Barnsley FC Academy Coach caught up with RitC’s resident runner Gareth to discuss their training and preparation ahead of travelling to the capital next month.

Click HERE to find out more about Corey’s story and donate to a fantastic cause via his Virgin Money Giving site.

Click HERE to check out Gareth’s impressive running record on his athlete profile.