SALFORD Red Devils youth coach is set to take on the Great Manchester Run to mark the anniversary of the death of a former academy player.
Stephen McCormick will run the 10km course on the Sunday, May 22 to raise funds for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), seven years after Leon Walker collapsed during a rugby league reserve game in 2009.
Walker, 20, suffered from a rare undiagnosed heart defect and died on the way to hospital.
The Salford under 19s coach is aiming to raise £1,000 for the national charity.
McCormick, 53, of Lower Pendleton, Salford, said: “Leon died doing what he had always loved, and it’s time to try and give something back to him and remember him.
“I’m training hard to finish in under an hour, to show the type of determination he showed.”
He also stressed the importance of other young people getting a cardiac screening to avoid similar incidents in the future.
He said: “We want to make sure that Leon wasn’t taken in vain, and that nothing like this happens again because it truly is a horrible thing to see.”
“Leon died doing what he had always loved.”
Dr Steve Cox, Chief Executive of CRY, said; “Every week in the UK, around 12 young people (under the age of 35) die suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition.
“Eighty per cent of these deaths will occur with no prior symptoms, which is why proactive cardiac screening is so vital.
“Sport – whilst it does not actually cause sudden cardiac death – can significantly increase a young person’s risk if they have an underlying condition.
“There is little doubt that screening saves lives – and CRY believes that every young person in the UK should have the choice to be screened and to have free access to these tests.”
To help Stephen McCormick reach his £1,000 target, visit his JustGiving page.
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