Rugby league's marathon man
Post categories: Rugby League
| 19:17 UK time, Friday, 20 April 2012
Among the thousands of fund-raisers and fun-seekers lining the London Marathon course this weekend is a rugby league inspiration proving everyone wrong.
In 1996 Steve Prescott made his England debut alongside . On Sunday the two best mates will cross the finishing line together at Buckingham Palace at the end of an incredible journey. The pair will arrive in the capital from Calais, after travelling there in a rowing boat from Dover. This after running the last Sunday and cycling hundreds of miles back to England in the days since. Steve also has terminal cancer.
In fact he was given months to live in 2006 and told he would not see his children grow up.
He is one of the most inspirational men I know.
"My doctor told me I was mad," says Prescott. "My specialist pulled a face when I told him what I was doing as if he couldn't believe how stupid I was being. I'm not doing it to prove anything or impress anyone. I'm doing it simply because I think I can. And so long as my body allows me to, I want to inspire as many others as I can too."
I spoke to the two friends on Thursday afternoon as they arrived back in London to register for Sunday's marathon, before heading back to Dover to await a break in the weather to jump in a rowing boat and cross the Channel.
The London Marathon will be a gruelling challenging for Prescott. Photo: Getty
The initial plan was to kayak across the Channel but poor weather has prompted a slightly sturdier five-man rowing vessel to be ordered, with Sculthorpe rounding up old mates such as Chris Joynt to fill the boat!
Their week of pain started last Saturday with a flight to the French capital, running the Paris marathon the following day in four hours and 20 minutes. Prescott tells me that pace was a bit too quick.
"I had the most severe cramp I have ever experienced and my hamstring went 300m from the line. I had to hobble over and couldn't even stand up on the kerb. Waking up the next morning I couldn't walk. I had to cycle 110 miles. I had to be mentally tough."
Mental toughness is something Prescott has in abundance. Walking around an empty KC Stadium while filming this week I could visualise the former full-back crashing in for a try in the corner and pulling off another thumping cover tackle.
A points machine for the Airlie Birds, his biggest fight came in September 2006 when after being treated for stomach pains , a rare form of cancer. Hearing it was incurable, Prescott was told he would not see his two young sons grow up and should prepare wife Linzi for the worst.
He hid in his room crying before deciding he was not ready to stay goodbye. Six years on Steve is going strong, as is his charity, the . He was made an MBE in 2010 having gone from points machine to fund-raising machine, bringing in hundreds of thousands of pounds. The total for this latest challenge alone had passed £16,000 when we spoke this week.
"Prekky has been superb," says Sculthorpe. "He just keeps going he is an incredible human being. Unbelievable, unreal, inspirational. All of this has been done with a smile. We have singalongs on the road and that's the only time we fall out.
"He's a hardcore rocker while I'm more Take That. We've spent the evenings having our legs massaged, singing and eating, then it's up at 5 and on the bike for 6".
Prescott admits he is braced for Sunday to be the worst pain of his life. "I am shattered and I am prepared for how bad this will be. But I'm in it to win it and I plan to dip for the line after beating Scully in a sprint finish down the Mall."
You can support Steve's fight here www.justgiving.com/steve-scully and keep up with their progress here www.engagemutual.com/steveandscully
Hi, I'm George Riley. You may have heard me flying the flag for our great game on Radio 5 live, where I now present the sport on the Breakfast show. I also pop up on television presenting the Breakfast sport on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One and ´óÏó´«Ã½ News. Raised in Yorkshire, rugby league has always been a big love for me. I hope to use this blog to share my insight and behind-the-scenes gossip from every game I go to. You can also follow me on .
Comment number 1.
At 20th Apr 2012, goodwill_the_blue wrote:Wow, this feat would be mindblowing for a fully fit athelete, not one suffering like he is, top respect for him.
Good luck for Sunday, hope his hamstring holds outfor him !!
As a side issue, how pedantic of the French to stop anyone (unless you put enough peer pressure on them) going from Calais to Dover, always has to be the other way round.
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Comment number 2.
At 20th Apr 2012, mdesevers wrote:George, make sure you do all you can to make sure ´óÏó´«Ã½1/Radio 5 give Steve some regular exposure on Sunday to his fight. He is an outstanding example as to how to someone can fight such a horrible disease head on. Every time I've been to a grand final or challenge cup final he's always there in front of the crowd. A credit to the sport.
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Comment number 3.
At 20th Apr 2012, PieNtries wrote:George, this is by far your best blog yet, makes all others almost irrelevant, please keep this in the news all weekend as best you can.
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Comment number 4.
At 21st Apr 2012, FailedMP01 wrote:to re-iterate what has been said by all the previous comments Steve is an inspiration to everybody and if the Queen still has that knighthood spare given to Fred Goodwin then I can't think of a more deserving recipient than Steve
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Comment number 5.
At 21st Apr 2012, Pommie_Greg wrote:Prescott is an inspiration to us all. No doubt about that whatsoever. Agree with comments above that more needs to be done to bring his fantastic fund-raising amid his awful personal circumstances to a wider audience. George...?
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Comment number 6.
At 21st Apr 2012, Diane wrote:Great blog George. It's a pity it couldn't be linked to every section of the website instead of just rugby league! Steve Prescott, and his support crew, are all amazing and as I write five of them are rowing across the channel. Incredible stuff.
Although not everyone will get the chance to live years when diagnosed with a terminal condition, Steve does epitomise what the human spirit can achieve if it is focused outwards towards others and I hope he can continue for many years yet. He is an incredibly courageous individual and a true inspiration.
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Comment number 7.
At 21st Apr 2012, Wharto84 wrote:Just hope the bbc give him the coverage he deserves whether its en route or crossing the line!! GOOD LUCK STEVE
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Comment number 8.
At 21st Apr 2012, Stretford Ranger wrote:George, Have a word in Clare Balding's ear to make sure Steve and his team get as much coverage as possible. Clare obviously has more influence than you do!!! Good luck to Steve and all his team and it IS a pity this story is not available all across the ´óÏó´«Ã½ sites. More people would take comfort and inspiration from Steve if only they knew about him.
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Comment number 9.
At 21st Apr 2012, MUFCSAINT wrote:Steve and Paul are going to beintervied by Sue barker before the start of the marathon tomorow Steve was allso interviewd by Colin Murray last suprissed how he along with Pat Nevin and Perry Groves knew about him
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Comment number 10.
At 21st Apr 2012, Finknottle wrote:Fantastic job Steve. Good luck for the rest of the journey.
Hey George. Can you remind ´óÏó´«Ã½ Teletext that there's live Rugby League on Friday night's deserving of a mention on Page 301. The night's games are all too often being over-looked!!
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Comment number 11.
At 21st Apr 2012, ste1969 wrote:Amazing effort from 2 amazing guys, and the very best of luck for the marathon.
£15,402.00 raised of £16,000.00 target
help them hit the 16k target guys:)
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Comment number 12.
At 21st Apr 2012, Al c wrote:Steve Prescott as a player for St Helens was a wonderful player, but as a person undertaking this with such an illness is remarkable and inspirational. In a world or were celebrity is rewarded and steve will run past idiots from reality tv or people famous for nothing (usually slept with someone famous) on Sunday, what he is dealing with is true reality and its people like him who should be receiving the exposure. Good luck.
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Comment number 13.
At 22nd Apr 2012, shampers wrote:Fantastic effort Steve. Great blog and good to see it on the main sport website, however i get a ´óÏó´«Ã½ error code when i click the fundraising link, so had to find it via Steve's own website.
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Comment number 14.
At 22nd Apr 2012, Diane wrote:Well, what an amazing achievement by Steve Prescott and Paul Sculthorpe. I saw them both interviewed before the start and also (on the red button) after they had completed the marathon. Tremendous stuff. Neither of them looked like they had just done what they had done over the last 10 days. Incredible. And the sponsorship has broken the £16,000 barrier too. Pity it couldn't have been £116,000!! They would have deserved it for what they did, especially Steve Prescott.
What an inspiration that man continues to be. I hope his scan tomorrow brings some positive news for him (in relative terms, obviously). Well done to both of them, and to the lads who helped get them across the Channel.
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Comment number 15.
At 22nd Apr 2012, comebackdevils wrote:Whenever I read about Steve Prescott, it makes me realise what a small fish I am. It's a very humbling thought. Fellahs like him really are made out of a different material from the rest of us.
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