Finish line at the Principality Stadium in sight for Craig Maxwell as he nears completion of Wales Coast Path challenge.
The finish is in sight for a dad of two who has been walking the Wales Coast Path since 14th February.
Craig Maxwell, who was diagnosed with incurable and inoperable EGFR+ lung cancer in September 2022, will be completing his 26-day challenge this Sunday at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
With £837,000 already raised, the former WRU commercial director is aiming to raise a monumental £1m for the Maxwell Family Fund, a fund as part of Velindre Cancer Centre, to enhance, improve and develop the cancer pathway in Wales.
His journey so far has seen him cover over 600 miles from the North Wales coast, around Anglesey, the Llyn Peninsula, down the Ceredigion coast, around the Pembrokeshire coast and now onto the Gower. He has been joined by a host of celebrities along the way including TV presenter Gethin Jones, comedian Rhod Gilbert, former England cricket captain Sir Andrew Strauss, and former rugby players Sam Warburton, Jamie Roberts and Josh Navidi.
With three days left, celebrities including Derek Brockway, Jamie Baulch, Becky North and Gethin Jones, will support Craig on the last stretch covering the south Wales coastline.
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 Wales vs. France Guinness Six Nations match on Sunday, where Craig accompanied by his children, Isla and Zach, will carry the match ball onto the pitch.
600 walkers signed up to support Craig on the 26-day challenge, which covers 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 was 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.
Craig says: “It has been amazing. The different people joining each day has really lifted me. The rain on some days has been hard and I’ve got some pretty epic blisters, but apart from that I’m feeling good.
“I’ve been overwhelmed that over 600 walkers have signed up to join me and that we’ve already raised over £800,000. It takes my breath away. I have been lucky to meet people along the way who are going through similar experiences to myself, or their families are going through similar experiences, and I’ve found that emotional, yet inspiring to hear their stories. It really has spurred me on to keep pushing so that we can create a better future for others going forward.
“I’m on the homeward stretch now and I’m already feeling very emotional about Sunday. What a way to finish with my family at the stadium. Thanks to everyone who has supported me.”
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.
Over the last year, he has run the London Marathon, taken part in CARTEN, cycled 320 miles from Cardiff to Paris, cycled over 420 miles from Paris to Bordeaux and taken on the Welsh 3000s – climbing over 10 mountains, all over 3,000ft in 24 hours. Earlier this year, he was crowned Cycling Plus’ Rider of the Year for his efforts.
His story has touched the hearts of many, rallying support that surpassed all expectations. At the start of the year, he set up the Maxwell Family Fund with the aim of fundraising to enhance, improve and develop the cancer pathway in Wales. Administered and supported by Velindre, with support from the Moondance Foundation and All Wales Genomics, the fund will aim to make a lasting difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families in Wales.
To find out more visit https://maxwell.foundation and to donate £10 text WALK24 to 70191.
