'King of Chemo' Encouraging People To Get Involved In Tour De Picnic

Wednesday, 2 August 2023 16:34

He is on a mission to raise funds since being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

The King of Chemo aka Iain Ward is encouraging people to get involved Electric Picnic’s annual charity 17km run or 80km cycle, Tour De Picnic.

Iain has been on a mission to raise funds since he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2019.

An MRI on his brain as part of a medical trail detected what was supposedly a harmless tumour, however a later scan indicated the tumour was growing.

Iain underwent surgery two weeks after his 31st birthday and it was confirmed that he had Stage Three brain cancer which comes with an average life expectancy of five years.

He is planning to cycle 52km or run 21 km every day for 31 days around Ireland.

He has recently returned to Ireland having completed a charity cycle from America’s east to west coast, and his goal is to break a record raising the most amount of money for running a marathon.

As he runs from county to county you can follow his journey on his Instagram ‘The King of Chemo’ and you can donate here

Iain will be at the starting line of Tour de Picnic in Tallaght Stadium on 1st September as he cycles the 80kms to the Picnic

You can sign up to take part on the Tour De Picnic website, registration is open until 18th August.

Funds raised by Tour De Picnickers and Iain will go towards Jack and Jill, Children’s Health Foundation and Childline by ISPCC.

Departing from Tallaght Stadium on Friday 1st September, the cyclists will head for the Blessington Greenway to Brannockstown.

They’ll then make their way along the Barrow Blueway before reaching Stradbally, where headliners Billie Eilish, Niall Horan, Fred again.., and The Killers are among the acts set to perform across the sold-out festival weekend.

The King of Chemo Iain Ward said:

“I’m no stranger to Tour de Picnic as I cycled to Stradbally for the first two Tour de Picnics! It’s all in aid of some great charities too so the journey really starts with the fundraising – so throw yourself into it, click the sign-up button on tourdepicnic.ie, set up a fundraising profile and share it on social media so people can help support you and the challenge you’ve set yourself! And don’t worry, the cycle and run is a one way trip. Everyone gets a bus back, so don’t feel you need to behave yourself on the Sunday.”

Participants are required to raise €450 (including registration) for the Tour De Picnic charities to take part.

There’s a student option available to raise €400, proof of student ID is required.