A former cancer patient from Manchester who was diagnosed at the age of just 17 is taking on this year’s Great Manchester Run on behalf of The Christie, the hospital she credits with helping save her life.
24-year-old Lea Abell from Failsworth is set to run the event for the first time on Sunday, 26 May to raise funds for The Christie Charity where she now works after completing her treatment.
Lea was sadly diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma cancer back in March 2017 and had to undergo intense chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment at The Christie’s TYA (Teenage and Young Adult) unit.
Thankfully, she showed plenty of Manc spirit even at such a young age and in September 2018, Lea was told her treatment had been successful and is now looking to dedicate her efforts this May to the local life-saving institution.
Lea (Credit: The Christie)Credit: The Manc Group)Thousands took on the Great Manchester Run in honour of the Christie in 2023 (Credit: The Christie/The Manc Group)
After so much support and care from The Christie during her time there, the youngster decided that she wanted to give back and be a part of it all herself, going on to become part of the foundation’s mass participation events team – hence where the Great Manchester Run comes in.
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Speaking on the hospital and the ward she spent her time in, specifically, Lea said: “The TYA, where do start? They are absolutely amazing! Every single member of staff from Julie the receptionist to Hanna Simpson, the head nurse and all of the other doctors and nurses were incredible.
“They make you feel so at home, and they support you mentally and physically throughout your treatment – they are all so positive, so you don’t feel like you’re going there for cancer treatment. I really wouldn’t have got through it if it wasn’t for the people there, so I owe them everything!
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“Hanna and Julie always went out of their way to check up on me and tried to make my days better in any way they could, and I’ll never forget that.” Having turned up with the events team to the Great Manchester Run last year and seeing what a “brilliant day” it was, she decided 2024 was her year.
She’s becoming the latest among the hordes who run on behalf of The Christie at events across the globe every year.
Having only recently started her running journey this year and with the popular running event just around the corner, it’ll be a massive achievement for the young survivor and her team at the charity, with plenty of people backing her and a simple aim in mind: raise as much money as possible.
Lea has only recently started her running journey this year, so to take on the Great Manchester Run will be a big achievement for her, but she has plenty of people in her corner.
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She went on to add: “My immediate family includes my mum Nicola, my dad Gary, and my brother and sister Jake and Sophia who were all there for me during treatment, and they will be there on the day of the Great Manchester Run to cheer me on alongside my other family members and friends.”
You’re going to absolutely smash it, Lea, we know it.
As for the charity themselves, The Christie’s mass participation events development manager, Lindsey Farthing, added: “Lea is a valuable member of our team and we’re all really touched that she has chosen to run the Manchester 10K for our charity.
To have a member of staff in our team who has been treated at The Christie and wants to give something back to the organisation that saved her life is really special for us all. We couldn’t be prouder of her and we wish her all the very best.”
If you want to help do your bit, you can donate to Lea’s fundraiser HERE and be sure to turn up in your droves come race day to cheer her on along with the thousands of runners raising money for charity.
Jürgen Klopp reveals the main reason he turned down the Manchester United job
Danny Jones
Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has revealed one of the main reasons he turned down the Manchester United job more than a decade ago.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund boss turned Merseyside hero spent nine years at Anfield, going on to win a Champions League, Premier League, and a collection of cups.
It’s also worth noting that this all came in the years following the departure of legendary Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, but there could have been an alternate reality where Klopp carried on where ‘Fergie’ left off, as the now 58-year-old says the club spoke to him during that time.
With Sir Alex leaving in 2013 after the best part of 30 years, Klopp told Steven Bartlett on his most recent Diary of A CEO episode that “of course, they were interested.”
OUT NOW!
💥Jürgen Klopp on The Diary Of A CEO
Some of the topics we cover:
•His surprise at Liverpool’s £450m transfer window and why he didn’t get the same money
•He says a return to Liverpool is possible – but he couldn’t ask for just one year off
Admitting that the interest was mutual “at one point”, the prospect of joining Liverpool‘s historic rivals clearly appealed to him.
Noting that he was flourishing as an up-and-coming coach (aged 46 back then) in charge of an impressive Dortmund team – adding that even some of his then future players to be at Liverpool flew to watch them play in the Champions League – it’s clear he had plenty of suitors.
However, the retired German footballer turned ‘Gegenpressing’ tactician goes on to explain that despite United trying to poach him from the Bundesliga, it was “the wrong time, wrong moment for me.”
Crucially, he says that some aspects of the conversations between him and the club at the time proved to be a turn-off rather than an incentive, citing talk of ‘the biggest club in the world’ and supposedly “signing any player we want.”
In short, Klopp says that, crucially, it didn’t sound like it would have been his project, drawing parallels to the board wanting to bring back players like Paul Pogba, with arguably similar ‘mistakes’ being made with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. In his eyes, looking backwards simply “never helps”.
You can see the clip in full here:
Had he not turned down the offer, do you think Klopp could have helped rebuild Man United?
According to Klopp, after negotiations seemed to revolve primarily around the kind of players they were going to bring in, he decided the opportunity wasn’t for him.
Nevertheless, it looked like things worked out for Merseyside’s biggest club, at least, as he went on to become one of the most successful managers in the Premier League, managing to break up the long period of dominance overseen by both Manchester United and, most recently, Man City.
As for the red half of Manchester, they at the very least had a good weekend as they finally ended their long wait for a win away against Liverpool.
In case you missed it, you can watch the highlights – including another big clutch goal from Harry Maguire – down below.
A 5k charity event where runners dress up as Pitbull is coming to Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
Yep, you read it right the first time – a regular 5k charity run returns to Manchester this month, only this time, those taking part will be dressed up as Pitbull for some reason…
Don’t ask us, we just thought it was funny and it’s for a good cause, so why the hell not?
For a little context, this is the latest idea from Slow Run Club: a local running organisation that takes place weekly at three different locations across Greater Manchester.
We know ‘Mr Worldwide’ himself has been and gone, having played a couple of nights in Manchester earlier this year, but these lot have decided two nights of yelling ‘Timberrrr’ still wasn’t quite enough and asking those joining the October fundraising 5k to dress up like the one and only Pitbull.
In case you missed it when ‘Dale’ fever took over the city streets this past summer, bald caps, sunglasses, black felt goatees and drawn-on moustaches descended upon central Manchester as they have been all over the UK and beyond for his live shows.
Was it utterly daft? Yes. Was it still one of THE best gig crowds we’ve seen in yonks? Absolutely.
The 44-year-old Floridian rapper and resurgent pop star played multiple nights at the Co-op Live, and they were brilliant, but we’re not going to pretend that the best wasn’t seeing the sea of shiny bald heads and shades in suits and ties.
It’s rare that you see such a shared moment of abandoning inhibitions and embracing the silliness; it was genuinely so great to see, and it’s that same energy that these guys are trying to tap into. Put simply, it’s about letting go and dancing like no one’s watching.
Teaming up with fellow charity-focused running group, Run The Streets MCR, Slow Run Club (SRC)’s Pitbull fancy-dress-themed run is just the latest in a growing trend of alternative ways to get some exercise in.
After you’ve gone all ‘305’ at the Pitbull run, these Manchester runners are worth looking into as well.
Having done everything from the regular fancy dress Halloween runs to Oasis, Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA-themed runs, and many more, you’d be surprised how much you don’t care about what people think when you’re running around and dancing to tunes – especially when it’s for charity.
Once again, the Slow Run Club x Run The Streets MCR ‘Pitbull Edition’ 5k charity run takes place this month on Wednesday, 22 October, from 6:30pm onwards outside The Tap House on Circle Square, just off the Oxford Road Corridor, before setting off at a laid-back social pace.
This is the same place and time you’ll find SRC’s city centre regular meet-up every week; speaking to The Manc, founder Holly Spiers said: “We run from The Taphouse every Wednesday (just not usually dressed as Pitbull) and offer an inclusive pace as well as rest stops.”
Speaking of fancy dress, if you haven’t seen the group of four mates who made history at the 2025 Manchester Half, stop what you’re doing and read this:
These legends set an incredibly fun, wholesome and amusing world record at this year's @ManchesterHalf – all whilst raising money for @andysmanclubuk. 👏
Danny Jones -
9th May 2024 
