A student at the University of Greenwich will be taking on the London Marathon this weekend after being inspired by her mum who is currently receiving treatment for breast cancer.

Hannah Curtis, 20, will run the marathon on October 2 to raise funds for The Institute of Cancer Research.

This is her first ever marathon (which is 26.2 miles long) but completed a 20 mile run at the beginning of September as part of her training.

Says she is “really enjoying” the build-up to the big day.

While Hannah studies in Greenwich, she lives in Ware in Hertfordshire with her mum, dad and sister.

Hannah and her mum have participated in numerous running events and share a love for running.

She said: “My mum has always inspired me – she is why I started running.

“She’s always been a runner and completed the London marathon in 2005.

“I’ll be running for her.”

Her donations page reads: “One in two people will get cancer in their lifetime.

“For my family, my mum’s been unlucky twice.

“After her remission in 2015, in November of 2020, her cancer came back and unfortunately spread so is still undergoing weekly treatment of chemotherapy.

“Having cancer doesn’t just mean having treatment - It’s the stress of telling friends and family again. It’s the constant anxiety about whether it will shrink. It’s organising oncology appointments.

“Bad news. CT scans. Crying into nurse’s shoulders. It’s eyelashes and hair falling out. Managing risks. Weight loss. Eating and tasting metal. Clinical trials. Needles and ports. Feeling hopeful and hopeless.”

Hannah is close to meeting her fundraising target of £2,000 and feels that ICR is an important charity of choice.

The ICR says that its mission is to make discoveries that will defeat cancer.

Hannah explained: “It was important for me to find a cancer charity that I could represent and help raise awareness of the work they do.

“With the ICR you can really see where your money’s going.

“They are doing great work and you can see it all first-hand on their social media.

“I always look on their pages to see all the new discoveries and new drugs that are coming up.”

Lannah Carbonilla, Head of Supporter Events at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “We’re really grateful to have the support of Hannah and all of the #teamICR runners at this year’s TCS London Marathon.

“Getting out there and training for a marathon, while also attempting to hit a fundraising target, is no easy feat, and we’ve been so impressed by the dedication and commitment of our supporters.

“It’s a challenging time for so many at the moment, but we hope Hannah and all our runners will be spurred on by the knowledge that they’re helping to make a difference for people affected by cancer up and down the country.

“Every £1 raised means that our research can keep moving forward, and every step taken towards that finish line brings our researchers one step closer to finishing cancer.”

The ICR claims that it provided the first convincing evidence that DNA damage is the basic cause of cancer, laying the foundation for what is now the universally accepted idea that cancer is a genetic disease.

Today the ICR focuses on identifying cancer-related genes and discovering new targeted drugs for personalised cancer treatment.

To donate on Hannah’s fundraising page visit https://tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/hannah-curtis