Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, who himself underwent treatment for cancer in 2022, is joining former WRU head of marketing Craig Maxwell today (28thFebruary) on day 15 of his Wales Coast Path Challenge.
Craig was just 40 when he was diagnosed with incurable and inoperable EGFR lung and bone cancer. In the face of adversity, having told he had a limited time to live, he has thrown himself into raising hundreds of thousands of pounds to help others detect cancer earlier.
Walking from Goodwick to St David’s in Pembrokeshire alongside former Welsh rugby captain Sam Warburton, Rhod Gilbert is supporting Craig as he tries to raise £1m for the Maxwell Family Fund, a fund as part of Velindre Cancer Centre, to enhance, improve and develop the cancer pathway in Wales.
The challenge will see over 500 walkers cover 780 miles of the coast path to represent the 78 days it took Craig to receive his diagnosis from the point of finding his tumour. The rest of the 870-mile coast path will be cycled. It is being done in 26 days to mirror the QuicDNA project, a genomics research project to reduce diagnosis time for lung cancer patients to a maximum of 26 days.
A rugby match ball is being relayed the entire distance of the challenge, symbolising Wales’ collective fight against cancer and it will culminate at the national stadium of Wales, the Principality Stadium, on 10th March for the Wales vs. France Guinness Six Nations match, where Craig accompanied by his children, Isla and Zach, will carry the match ball onto the pitch.
