TV editor runs the extra mile in Los Angeles marathon for St Catherine's Hospice

A TV editor who works on popular shows such as America’s Got Talent and Dancing With The Stars has pounded the pavements of Los Angeles to raise funds for the Lancashire hospice which cared for his mother.
By Natasha Meek
Published 25th Apr 2019, 13:54 BST
Updated 25th Apr 2019, 14:59 BST
Brother and sister James and Lucy Ralph at the finish line of the Los Angeles marathon.Brother and sister James and Lucy Ralph at the finish line of the Los Angeles marathon.
Brother and sister James and Lucy Ralph at the finish line of the Los Angeles marathon.

James Ralph moved to LA for work in December 2017, shortly after his mum Margaret Ralph, from Clayton Brook, was cared for by St Catherine’s Hospice following her diagnosis with cervical cancer earlier that year.James and his sister Lucy Ralph, who lives in Peru, joined forces to take on the gruelling 26-mile challenge from the Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica to give back to the charity.They have raised £4,000 to help fund the specialist palliative and end-of-life care provided by St Catherine’s. Dad-of-six James, 48, said: “The care and support we all received from St Catherine’s was so amazing. Mum was cared for with real dignity and respect and her pain was managed expertly by a team who really understand how to care for people with life-shortening illnesses. “Lucy stayed at the hospice with mum in her room until the end and I also stayed several times during the last few days of her life. Being able to be with her at that time was an unbelievable gift and something I will forever be grateful for.“Lucy and I wanted to find a way to honour our mum and give something back to St Catherine’s for looking after her, so we came up with the idea of running a marathon. I ran a half marathon some years ago, but had never taken on something on this scale before.“I’ve always been active and had thought that one day I should tackle a marathon and see what it would be like, and LA just seemed like an impossibly cool place to take on the challenge.”The media man’s route started as a tour of LA, from China Town to Rodeo Drive, and ended by the sea in Santa Monica. James finished the LA Marathon four hours and 24 minutes.Hayley Jackson, community engagement officer at St Catherine’s Hospice, said: “How remarkable that James and Lucy have fund-raised for our Lostock Hall charity from more than 5,000 miles away.“They have raised a staggering amount for St Catherine’s which we’re incredibly grateful for. “James and Lucy have really gone the extra mile for us, and I’d like to send a very big ‘thank you’ all the way across the Atlantic Ocean for their fantastic efforts.”

Brother and sister James and Lucy Ralph at the finish line of the Los Angeles marathon.

Related topics:St CatherineLancashire