Meet the Rochdale fan running 5k a day in memory of son

Josh McAllister
Chris Lowe Rochdale

Rochdale fan Chris Lowe continues to run five kilometres a day in memory of son, Freddie, who sadly passed away last year.

Chris, a Rochdale Hornets fan, has been running the distance every day since January 1, in memory of his son, Freddie. At just three-years-old, Freddie tragically died of a rare childhood cancer. Through his runs, Chris is raising money for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, having previously raised money for Young Lives Vs Cancer. 

Chris is aiming to raise £5,000 for his chosen charity, with £3,500 already donated to his Fundraising page.

Freddie became poorly in late 2020 before being diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer in the nasal area. He sadly lost his brave battle with cancer on 31 July.

Chris said: “After the great success of raising money for Young Lives Vs Cancer, I have decided to raise money in support of the intensive care unit and high dependency unit at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

“This is where Freddie started his journey with cancer in October 2020. He would return months later to spend his final six weeks here. Vital funds are needed for this department, providing a bit of support towards equipment, materials and resources, to try and help support other very poorly children and families going through treatments and to try and prevent them from going through what we had to as no family deserves this.”

Rugby League community express support

Chris was recently a guest on BBC Radio Manchester, talking with presenter Becky Want.

“I just wanted a challenge that was going to be challenging myself,” Lowe said on BBC Radio Manchester.

“I want to say a huge thank you to Rochdale at the Crown Oil Arena. They jumped on board and retired the number 15 shirt up at Rochdale in memory of Freddie who is always in the line-up ahead of the game. He comes up on the big scoreboard there and gets a shout-out. It’s very emotional and I’ll cherish that forever.”

The rugby league community has showed its support for Chris, his family, and Freddie. The hashtag #ThumbsUpForFreddie has also been continuously used by Chris during his fundraising efforts.

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Click here to donate or to find out more about Freddie’s story

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