A JOURNALIST raised more than £2,000 for charity after finishing a 52-mile triathlon in memory of his uncle who died from pancreatic cancer.

Cambs Times: Gavin Caney with his twin sister Kelly King.Gavin Caney with his twin sister Kelly King. (Image: Archant)

Gavin Caney said completing a mile-long swim, 36.3-mile cycle ride and 14.7-mile run on the hottest day of the year was a tough challenge.

But the 25-year-old, who was joined by his twin sister Kelly King for the run, said the thought of his uncle Alan Rasberry’s fight against cancer gave them both the inspiration to get to the end.

“We both thought of Alan and how brave he had been. That helped drag us through,” he said.

Mr Caney, of Friday Bridge, a sports reporter for our sister title the Eastern Daily Press, took on the challenge after Mr Rasberry was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer in May. He died on June 19, aged 52.

Mr Caney missed a fund-raising event organised by Mr Rasberry’s family and friends, which raised more than £6,000, so felt he had to play his part.

The route for the run, between Terrington St Clement and King’s Lynn, was designed by Mr Rasberry before he died and took Mr Caney past places that had been significant in his uncle’s life, such as past and present family houses as well as schools he had attended.

It ended at the home Mr Rasberry shared in King’s Lynn with his wife Lindsey, who greeted Mr Caney and Mrs King, of Terrington St Clement, as they crossed the finish line.

Mr Caney said: “The swim and the bike ride were good and I felt fine for most of the run.

“However when we got to London Road (King’s Lynn), I really did hit the wall. Had my sister not been doing the run with me, I wouldn’t have been able to get through it.”

The pair were also buoyed by the support of passersby.

“One of the most special moments was when we were going down Loke Road (King’s Lynn) when a man pulled over in his car, jumped out, said that he thought what we were doing was great and gave us £10,” Mr Caney said.

The money raised will go to the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund.

There is still time to donate by visiting www.justgiving.com/gavin-caney