A Sutton and Epsom Rugby Club player is set to run in all 32 London boroughs in 32 days after a friend was killed in a bike accident.
Sam Rowley, who previously played with him for the Cheam Chargers basketball club in Morden, was 33 when he fatally crashed into a car at 40 mph during the Classic Oxfordshire Sportive in May 2016.
Now James Earlby, from the Ridgeway in Epsom, will run a 5K in each borough - both in Sam's memory and in a bid to raise funds for The Big Cheese Charity.
James Earlby
The 32-year-old chartered secretary, who plays second row for the rugby side, said: “He was a basketball player [with the Cheam Chargers], that’s how we met.
“He was a very happy go-lucky, kind of guy and he had a slogan like, ‘Why wouldn’t you do something?’ He was always up for doing something.
“We lost a good friend so I sort of had this idea in my head that I was 32-years-old, there are 32 London boroughs, everyone has done a marathon so why not run for 5km in each of them?”
The Big Cheese Charity provides financial support to children and teams who don’t have the equipment to play basketball, a sport which Mr Rowley loved.
A total of £1,316 – including Gift Aid – has been raised so far at the time of writing, which is above the £1,000 target and Mr Earlby has completed half of the boroughs so far – 16 out of 32.
At the inquest, brother Alex Rowley said: “He was a funny and warm-hearted brother, a very popular person who had many friends.
“Life was going well for him and his work was too – the loss of Sam has hit us all very hard.”
Mr Earlby will also complete a 33rd run in the City of London, where he works, as it is not considered a London borough, while running 'en masse' in kit with a mixed basketball team on April 14.
To see the JustGiving page, click here.
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