Ayley Crawford, a trainee nurse from Wishaw who received a life-saving stem cell transplant from an Australian donor, was the guest of honour at Cancer Research UK's Pretty Muddy event at Strathclyde Park on Saturday.
A Special Honor
Crawford, who celebrated her 21st birthday last month, sounded the starter horn to send approximately 3,000 participants on the muddy 5k obstacle course. The event raised more than £400,000 to support cancer research.
Personal Journey
Crawford is in remission from leukaemia after receiving a stem cell transplant on July 31 last year from a stranger in Australia. She also raised over £1,000 by completing Pretty Muddy Glasgow with her boyfriend Riley Hill and friend Reece Holden.
Every year, around 36,700 people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland. Crawford understands the importance of supporting research. She said: “I’m incredibly grateful to feel well again and it’s difficult to find the right words to thank my donor. All I know is that a 21-year-old man from Australia with stem cells that were a perfect match gave me back my life.”
She added: “What he has done is amazing and in time I would like to write to say thank you. The star of the show was what looked like a bag of red blood cells that were gathered from him and flown over night to Scotland. In a hospital room in Glasgow decorated with balloons, we put a sign on the wall saying ‘Happy rebirthday’. After more than a year of cancer treatment and uncertainty, this marked the start of a huge new chapter in my life.”
Event Highlights
The day began with Pretty Muddy Kids, a 5k obstacle course for children aged six to 12, featuring a new 'muddy mayhem' obstacle. Participants climbed through gates, tackled a rope swing drop, navigated a maze of pillars, and crawled through a mud pit.
From noon, adults took on obstacles including a scramble net, tunnels, a climbing frame, space hoppers, and a giant inflatable slide into a mud pit. Among the finishers was Lauren Craig, 24, of East Kilbride, who led a team called “Michelle’s Angels” in honor of her mother, Michelle Craig, treated for breast cancer last year. The team raised over £700.
Gratitude and Appeal
Organizers thanked participants and urged them to pay in sponsorship money promptly. Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK’s spokeswoman in Scotland, said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part in Pretty Muddy Glasgow. Sadly nearly one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime but all of us can support the research that will beat it. Every pound raised supports our life-saving work, which has helped double cancer survival in the UK over the last 50 years.”
Since 1994, more than 10 million people have taken part in Race for Life, contributing millions to research. Cancer Research UK helped develop the HPV vaccine, expected to prevent almost 90% of cervical cancers in the UK, and played a key role in radiotherapy advancements.
To sign up for future events, visit raceforlife.org.
