82-year-old volunteer to take on Cheltenham 10K as part of a three-generation family team

A grandfather from Cheltenham will take on the Run Cheltenham 10K alongside his two daughters, son-in-law and grandchildren this September to raise money for Sue Ryder, the charity he has volunteered with for 17 years.
Dave Cant first became involved with Sue Ryder, the palliative and end-of-life care and grief support charity, through the Round Table and 41 Club. Today, he continues to support many of its flagship fundraising events and, each Christmas, donates a 16-foot Nordmann fir tree for Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, decorated with 1,200 lights in Sue Ryder’s colours.
“Sue Ryder is a charity driven by teamwork and a shared goal. Every member of staff, from the Sue Ryder Nurses to the support teams, is fantastic. I know how important it is that people raise funds for the charity too, and my aim is simply to raise as much money as possible to support them,” said Dave.
Dave’s admiration for the staff at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, and his determination to help raise money to support their work, previously inspired him to take on a ‘Run Your Age’ fundraising challenge during the pandemic. Aged 75 at the time, he ran 7.5km in 75 minutes after just 7.5 weeks of training.
Now aged 82, he is set to become the oldest charity runner to take part in this year’s Run Cheltenham 10K. “My daughters who are joining me both run regularly, my son-in-law will also be taking part, and I have at least four grandchildren confirmed to go the distance with me. They will all be faster than me, I’m sure, but we have committed to start the race together, and I have suggested we run the last kilometre together too - although they have all pledged to stay with me,” Dave continued.
With a background in coaching children’s athletics and as a former member of Cheltenham Harriers, Dave has always kept active but has only recently returned to running.
Dave added: “I have a home gym and have been working on my general fitness. These days there are more modern tools to help with training, like Strava, which I have been using to track my progress. I have been training for around two and a half months now and my longest run suggests I could complete the 10K in around one hour 20 to 30 minutes.”
“I think my biggest motivation on the day will be running with my family and my commitment to fundraising for Sue Ryder.”
To date, Dave has raised more than £2,000 with the support of friends and family, as well as match funding from the company where his daughter works.
“I’d say you either love running or hate it, but if you enjoy pounding the pavements then Run Cheltenham is something you should do. I have volunteered for Sue Ryder at the event, the atmosphere is fantastic, and the Sue Ryder team gives you lots of support.”
Sue Ryder is the headline charity partner for Run Cheltenham - the Cheltenham Half Marathon, 10K and Move More Mile - which takes place on Sunday 20 September 2026, starting at Cheltenham Racecourse, Prestbury Park.
To find out more about being part of Team Sue Ryder, visit: sueryder.org/runcheltenham
To support Dave and his family, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/david-cant-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=lc_frp_share_transaction_transactional_--_donation_received_--_first_donation

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