Rowing to beat cancer

FOUR members of Warrington Rowing Club’s J14 squad lost a parent or grandparent to pancreatic cancer within a year – so coach Dr Gael Tavernier decided to take action.
To raise awareness of the disease she organised a row-athon at the University Hospital of South Manchester where she works.
Gael (pictured) is all too aware of the importance of research translating into patient care as she herself has worked as a research scientist at the North West Lung Research Centre (NWLRC), based at Wythenshawe Hospital for the last 16 years.
She said: “It’s been quite a tough time having so many of our squad dealing with pancreatic cancer and I wanted to do something to focus our efforts as well as raise awareness of the disease.”
Gael and her squad rowed the equivalent of a marathon on a rowing machine at the main entrance of Wythenshawe Hospital.
The aim was to establish four junior British records, rowing the full marathon distance of 26 miles in relay teams.
Gaël was also trying to beat the British marathon record in her individual category which currently stands at 3hrs 05min 51s.
She has already won a minimum of two golds for Warrington Rowing Club at every National Masters Championships since 2008, and has won the Henley Masters on every occasion that her family of five children would let her attend!
Anyone who wants to make a donation can still do so at https://www.justgiving.com/teams/wtnmarathon.