It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint Completing Prostate Cancer UK’s Big Golf Race

Manchester City academy and England Under-17s goalkeeper Spike Brits swapped his goalkeeping gloves for golf clubs this June and took on Prostate Cancer UK’s Big Golf Race, the UK’s biggest golf fundraising challenge.

The 16-year-old, who joined the Premier League champions’ academy last summer from boyhood club AFC Wimbledon, raised over £3,600 for Prostate Cancer UK by conquering 72 holes of golf in one day – known as the Marathon - after his dad, Colin, was successfully treated for prostate cancer in 2019.

Spike, fresh from helping England to the quarter finals of the Under-17 European Championships in Cyprus, was joined on the course by Gerry Williams, Colin’s close friend and father of fellow AFC Wimbledon academy graduate, Morgan Williams.

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Colin and Morgan were on hand to support the golfing duo, who teed off their epic challenge at 4.45am at Croham Hurst Golf Club in Croydon on Monday, June 10th - which also marked the start of Men’s Health Week and concluded with Father’s Day (June 16th) – and returned to the clubhouse after 16 hours of golf.

Spike said: “Prostate cancer is a disease that has affected me and my family first hand. My dad is a prostate cancer survivor and I saw all the challenges Dad went through to beat the disease and the impact it had on us as a family.

“A key factor in him being healthy now was his early diagnosis, so if our team can raise funds and awareness to improve testing and survival rates for others, then that would feel very special to me personally.”

Gerry, 49, said: “It was the most amazing day. This was a wonderful team, and laughter rang around the course the entire time. There was some good golf on show as well, despite tired legs and sore feet in the last round.

“We will never forget doing this together and we couldn’t have done it without all the amazing people who donated money, Adam at Croham Hurst GC, our friends and families and the brilliant team at Prostate Cancer UK. As Colin said at the very beginning: ‘if we can help change one person’s life, then it’s worth it.’ Thank you all so much.

“By supporting Prostate Cancer UK, the golf community has a unique power to reach potentially vulnerable men with awareness and risk messages that could save lives.”

This year, the leading men’s health charity is urging more golfers to take part in The Big Golf Race to help save dads, grandads, brothers, uncles and friends from a disease that affects 1 in 8 men in the UK.

Since The Big Golf Race was launched in 2020, more than 10,000 golfers have raised over £3.4m to help fund life-saving research to radically improve the way prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated.

To join the thousands of other golfers in taking on Prostate Cancer UK’s Big Golf Race, please visit prostatecanceruk.org/TheBigGolfRace.

About prostate cancer     

• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.  
• More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average – that's 143 men every day.    
• 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer. 
• Around 475,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer.  
• Every 45 minutes one man dies from prostate cancer – that's more than 12,000 men every year.  
• Prostate cancer is curable if caught early, but early-stage prostate cancer often has no symptoms, so it is vital that men know their risk. 
• Men are at higher risk if they are over 50, Black or have a father or brother who has had prostate cancer.  
• To help men check their risk in 30 seconds, Prostate Cancer UK have an online risk checker available here: https://prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker