Cancer survivor, Mary Falk, sets sail on Sunday 6th June in a bid to complete, for the sixth time, the 2000 mile Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Race and raise the final part of her staggering £100,000 goal for The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR).
Mary, 63, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, will be entering the Round Britain and Ireland Race with fellow sailor Jerry Freeman who, like Mary, has completed the race on five previous occasions. This gruelling doublehanded race begins and ends in Plymouth with the course taking the competitors outside all Great Britain & Ireland. It features four compulsory stops of 48 hours at Kinsale, Barra, Lerwick and Lowestoft.
Mary, from Lymington, said: ‘The Round Britain and Ireland Race is one of the toughest on the calendar but one which I am hugely looking forward to. I’ve now reached over £96,000 for the ICR and it’s fantastic, after all the effort I’ve put into the fundraising over the last few years, finally to be in sight of my £100,000 goal. From a personal perspective I’m delighted to have raised such a substantial sum for a leading cancer research organisation like the ICR and at the same time to have shown that there can be life after cancer.’
Mary is a prominent figure on the sailing circuit having completed, often achieving 1st or 2nd in class,, in numerous events, such as the Singlehanded Transatlantic Race (3 times), the Azores and Back Race (4 times), as well as the Round Britain & Ireland Race (5 times) and the Fastnet Race in the doublehanded division.
More recently Mary has completed several Solo Offshore Racing Club races, again with top 2 finishes, to raise funds for the ICR. She also donates her time to give inspirational and awareness raising talks, based on her sailing adventures, to various clubs and institutions across the country.
‘Mary’s determination has been remarkable,’ said ICR spokesperson Louise Gebbett ‘Not only has she battled back from the debilitating treatment she received for breast cancer but she has gone on to participate in and win prestigious sailing events while raising vital funds for the ICR. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mary for all her astonishing efforts and urge people to support her in her goal to reach the £100,000 target.’
Mary’s progress in the Round Britain and Ireland Race can be tracked, and donations made, via her website www.maryfalk.com <http://www.maryfalk.com/> and donations can be made by visiting her Just Giving page at http://www.justgiving.com/maryfalk