Tag Archives: Runner's World

NEW CANCER RESEARCH UK CHAIR SNUBS RACE FOR LIFE CREATOR

Cancer Research UK’s new Chair, Lord Simon Stevens, has snubbed Race for Life creator Jim Cowan who wrote to him following his appointment last October.

When Lord Simon Stevens was appointed as Cancer Research UK’s new Chair, replacing outgoing Chair Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Jim Cowan wrote to him in the hope that a new Chair might represent an opportunity for Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to rediscover its integrity and do the right thing by correcting its historic misinformation campaign over the creation of the Race for Life.

Lord Stevens took up his post in October 2023 and Jim wrote to him on 18th of that month.

In his letter (see below), Jim congratulated Lord Stevens on his appointment before stating that it was his hope that Lord Stevens would help to right a wrong of nearly thirty years; the misrepresentation of the origins of the Race for Life and, with it, Jim, the person who created the Race for Life, never being recognised for coming up with the original idea for and launching Cancer Research UK’s most popular fundraising event.

Jim then went on to outline the correct, historically accurate version of the event’s creation which followed his own late father’s cancer diagnosis in 1993. He explained how he had come up with the idea and went on to tell how Jill MacRae had then laid false claim to the idea being hers. He confirmed that his position was supported by documentary evidence and by witnesses. He also noted that reputable sources such as Wikipedia and Runners World magazine recognise him as the event’s creator while CRUK continued to refuse to do so.

He reached out with a genuine offer to meet and to share evidence stating; “Despite nearly thirty years of being ignored by the charity you now Chair, I remain happy to meet and to share evidence with you. I am also more than happy to examine any contradictory evidence (in the unlikely event any exists) and comment on it. Witnesses, including the person who made the initial introduction, are still available too.”

In closing he wrote; “I trust that as the new Chair of the charity you will be seeking to be at the head of an organisation that does, and is seen to do, the right thing. I therefore hope I can look forward to hearing from you soon and to beginning the process of righting the wrongs of almost thirty years and to finally putting the record straight.”

It was then not until 23rd November that Jim received a reply, not from Lord Stevens but from his Executive Assistant Jo Stephens who wrote only to confirm that Jim’s letter had been received and that they would be in touch in due course.

And then……….

Nothing.

On 22nd January 2024, a quarter of a year after his initial letter and over eight weeks after Jo Stephens confirmation of receipt, Jim decided to write again in order to chase the courtesy of a reply.

And again……….

Nothing.

It is patently clear that instead of looking at the evidence and gathering facts, instead of addressing the very serious issue the matter raises with regard CRUK’s lack of integrity and systemic dishonesty, Lord Stevens has instead preferred to snub Jim. He has not even extended the common courtesy of a reply, even one stating that CRUK’s position is not changing.

Clearly, when CRUK’s position cannot be defended, when there is no counter story that can be offered that is based in truth, and there is no evidence to counter Jim’s, Lord Stevens has decided to assume CRUK’s long held position of silence and of ignoring Jim.

This is a position completely lacking in integrity, one without honesty. A position that points only to a fear of confronting the truth. In this instance silence is not golden, it is incriminating.

In the Race 4 Truth, Cancer Research UK, and with them Lord Stevens, are lagging behind.

Read Jim Cowan’s 18th October 2023 letter to Lord Stevens here:
https://race4truth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Simon-Stevens-New-Chair-v2-17Oct23.pdf
Read Jo Stephens 23rd November reply here:
https://race4truth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jo-Stephens-23Nov2320240304_15051013.pdf
Read Jim Cowan’s 22nd January 2024 follow up letter to Lord Stevens here:
https://race4truth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Simon-Stevens-New-Chair-Chase-Up-v1-22Jan24.pdf

WHERE IS CANCER RESEARCH UK’S EVIDENCE?

(Clue: They don’t have any).

When two parties disagree about something, how do you decide which one to believe?

Is it the one who makes claims but has no evidence to support those claims, or is it the one who has evidence and is happy to share it?

Is it the one whose story constantly changes and is unsupported by anything other than hearsay, or is it the one whose story has remained unchanged from the start, who is consistent, and who is able to provide both documentary evidence and witnesses?

Establishing the truth about the creation of the Race for Life is as simple as deciding who is telling the truth in these examples.

Is it Cancer Research UK (CRUK)?

Their current stance is that the origins of the Race for Life are unclear. This stance came about following an inquiry they claim to have had into the event’s creation. An inquiry they do not want to make public. An inquiry in which they cannot say what evidence was considered. An inquiry in which they did not contact Jim Cowan to ask him to provide evidence or contacts for witnesses. An inquiry which doesn’t appear to have been interested in gathering facts or learning the truth.

Prior to their ‘inquiry’ CRUK admitted that they have no records from the time the Race for Life was created. So what records were considered, what evidence was looked at?

Prior to their ‘inquiry’ and their ‘origins are unclear’ line, CRUK’s version of the creation of the Race for Life changed frequently (more here). Hardly the position of an organisation which knows the truth, which has facts, which has evidence to support its many and varied statements.

And then there were the possibly fraudulent claims of their former employee Jill MacRae (more here). MacRae claimed to be the person who created the Race for Life, even challenging Jim Cowan’s claim before going quiet when he produced evidence to the contrary, including a letter signed by MacRae herself.

CRUK have plenty of claims, of stories, of unsubstantiated statements to feed their ‘origins are unclear’ line. But evidence? They have none. They have been unable to provide a single piece of evidence to counter Jim Cowan’s claim to be the event’s creator.

So, what of Jim Cowan? What evidence can he provide to support his claim to be the man who created the event?

Certainly he can provide more than CRUK. Granted, not difficult given CRUK have provided none at all.

First of all, while CRUK have no records from 1993 and 1994 when the event was created, Jim does. He has a copy of his original letter to the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (CRUK’s previous name) proposing the event, explaining why and how he had come up with the idea. Unlike today, 5km charity runs were non-existent at that time so this was a ground-breaking, sector changing idea (more here).

He also has a copy of a reply from Jill MacRae (under her maiden name of Baker) in which she thanks him for his interest in organising an event to benefit the charity and confirming details of their meeting to discuss the idea.

After the first Race for Life took place in 1994, MacRae again wrote, “Mr Cowan came to us with the original idea.” Jim Cowan has a copy of this letter too (read it here).

Other evidence includes the original South of England Athletics Association permit (which incorporated the Public Liability Insurance for the 1994 event), faxes between himself and Runner’s World magazine in which he outlines the event and arranges their support for it, faxes between himself and shoe company ASICS in which he arranges more support for the event, and faxes containing further correspondence between himself and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

It is a significant body of evidence and when compared to CRUK’s complete lack of any evidence, Jim Cowan’s case is clearly overwhelming. But it doesn’t end there.

In addition he can provide witnesses from the time the Race for Life was created by him. These witnesses include the person who was working as a temp at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund with whom Jim had discussed his idea and who found MacRae’s contact details for him. They include representatives of clubs who supported the first running of the event by helping to marshal it, they include sponsors of the event and others. Sadly, others who could have provided testimony have since passed away, including the Olympian John Bicourt from whom Jim had much support. Still available though is correspondence between John and Jim.

On top of this, the leading running magazine Runner’s World (who supported the very first Race for Life and continued that support for many years) listed Jim at number two on the list of Running Game Changers it produced to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary in the UK. Why? Because, in their own words, he is the ‘creator of the Race for Life’ (more here).

Then there is Wikipedia who also list Jim as the person who had ‘the original idea for the Race for Life’ (link here).

Who created the Race for Life? The evidence is overwhelming. It is the party who can support his claim with evidence both documentary and provided by witnesses. The origins of the event are far from ‘unclear’ as Cancer Research UK, the party which can provide no evidence at all, claims.

It is time Cancer research UK did the right thing and gave Jim Cowan the recognition he so thoroughly deserves.

In the Race 4 Truth, Cancer Research UK are lagging behind.

SOFII – HAPPY TO SHARE THE LIES

The Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration (or SOFII for short) make the claim, “We are here to help you be the best fundraiser you can be, by sharing the innovation and inspiration that drives and invigorates our sector.”

It’s a laudable aim. Unfortunately, they do not let the truth get in the way of a good story.

In August 2023 Jim Cowan, the man who actually created the Race for Life, was made aware of an article on the SOFII website which featured Paul de Gregorio (the founder of Rally) giving a talk at SOFII’s ‘I Wish I’d Thought of That’ conference.

The idea de Gregorio wished he had thought of was the Race for Life. However, the background and history of the event he then presented was completely wrong. Given Cancer Research UK’s lies and various different tales they have told about the Race for Life’s history, not knowing the truth was not de Gregorio’s fault. How was he to know that he was simply relaying one version of the numerous fictions CRUK have shared over the years? And we should make clear, de Gregorio is not the one in the wrong here. Like many others, he simply believed a lie also believed by many others, one which CRUK’s leadership know not to be true but refuse to correct.

The version de Gregorio (and SOFII) shared was the one where the Race for Life was a copy of an American event brought to the UK by Imperial Cancer Research UK (CRUK’s previous name) employee Lisa Holland. Along with Jill MacRae and Jane Arnell, Holland is one of a trio of former ICRF employees whose names keep cropping up from that time when the original theft of the idea took place, claiming to have either created it or to have been the inspiration behind it. None have chosen to correct the record, instead happy to accept credit undeserved.

Having been made aware of what he thought was an honest error on SOFII’s part, Jim contacted them on 7th August 2023, making the reasonable request that the page be corrected. On 10th August he also posted a comment on the article expressing his disappointment and providing links to both the Wikipedia page on the event and to our own Race 4 Truth website.

On 14th August SOFII’s Tony Banks promised to look into the matter. Having not heard further, on 31st August Jim emailed a copy of Runner’s World’s ‘top 30 game changers’ article in which he was rightly credited with the Race for Life’s creation.

By 14th September Jim had yet to receive the courtesy of a reply so he followed up seeking both a response and querying why his comment on the article on SOFII’s website had been blocked from display? This email invoked a reply from Banks in which he repeated the usual lines CRUK cite when denying Jim’s involvement, as per usual without offering any evidence to counter Jim’s claim.

On 18th September Jim replied, this time providing the full and true background and history of the Race for Life including links to evidence supporting his claim, evidence CRUK has never been able to counter. Jim again requested that the page be amended to reflect the facts, the truth.

By 3rd October Jim had not received a reply so again he emailed Banks only to receive an auto-reply that Banks had now left SOFII and giving Carolina Herrera as the person to contact in his place. Jim therefore emailed Herrera in order to chase the matter up and to seek a response.

On 18th October Jim was still awaiting the courtesy of a reply and so emailed Herrera again, also copying in her SOFII colleague Joanna Culling.

No reply was received and the incorrect story and video remain on SOFII’s website.

A screen grab of the comment Jim Cowan posted on the SOFII article on 10th August. At the time of publishing this article, SOFII had still not approved it for sharing.

Jim has not chased SOFII again. Having given them more than ample time and opportunity to respond he has now shared the information with Race 4 Truth.

It has become abundantly clear that SOFII have no interest in reporting facts and no interest in the truth or the accuracy of articles shared on their pages. Indeed, by leaving de Gregorio’s misinformed talk (along with supporting but incorrect details of the Race for Life) SOFII are effectively endorsing the stealing of ideas on their website.

How much credibility does this give to this ‘showcase’ of fundraising and ‘innovation’? What does it say of SOFII’s raison d’être, “we are here to help you be the best fundraiser you can be, by sharing the innovation and inspiration that drives and invigorates our sector” when they know that at least some of what they share is fiction?

How much credibility does this mean SOFII have? They are not interested in facts, in truth. They block comments on their site which seek to correct falsehoods, they don’t reply to emails raising legitimate questions, and they ignore evidence instead believing unsubstantiated CRUK lies.

The concept behind SOFII is a good one, it should be a driver for the sharing of best practice and for genuine innovation. Unfortunately, by sharing one of CRUK’s numerous fake versions of the Race for Life story the motivation behind the organisation and even the truth in their other content must be questioned where no supporting evidence is also presented. Especially when they have been presented with the truth along with supporting evidence of that truth by the man who actually did create the Race for Life, Jim Cowan.

In the Race 4 Truth, Cancer Research UK is lagging behind.

RUNNER’S WORLD MAGAZINE RECOGNISE JIM COWAN AS THE CREATOR OF THE RACE FOR LIFE

Runner’s World magazine recently celebrated it’s 30th anniversary in the UK and in its 30th Anniversary issue ran a feature on ‘Running Game Changers 1993-2023.’

The article was introduced with the words; “Our running community has gone through some pretty seismic changes in the three decades since Runner’s World arrived in it. Here, we salute 30 key figures who have been instrumental in changing the game.”

And, at number 2 on the list, in amongst famous names such as Jessica Ennis-Hill, Paula Radcliffe, and Usain Bolt, Runner’s World listed ‘Jim Cowan, Creator of Race for Life.’

The piece described how, inspired by his own father’s battle with cancer, Jim’s vision changed the running landscape in the UK by opening up the way for the many running charity fundraising events now a feature on the calendar. Along the way it also became Cancer Research UK’s biggest fundraiser securing over £1Billion for the organisation over the thirty years.

While Cancer Research UK continue to deny the fact that Jim created the event, Runner’s World knows the facts. Indeed, before Jim even launched the event, he was talking to Runner’s World about it and, through their then Women’s Running Editor Alison Fletcher, they came onboard as one of the Race for Life’s very first official partners.

While Cancer Research UK clearly lack the moral compass to correct the record and to recognise Jim Cowan as the creator of the Race for Life and that the event is his father’s legacy, the truth is gradually being recognised by more and more people and organisations.

Ask Google, “who created the Race for Life?” The search engine will tell you it was Jim Cowan.

Wikipedia corrected their entry when provided with evidence as to who created the event and now recognise Jim Cowan as that person, inconveniently for Cancer Research UK, also providing a link to a letter from Jill MacRae on Imperial Cancer Research Fund letterhead (CRUK’s former name) clearly stating the fact. MacRae was later exposed as someone who had laid false claim to being the event’s creator after cutting all ties to Jim Cowan.

And now, one of the world’s most prestigious running publications has recognised Jim for his amazing creation, a magazine that would know because they supported Jim when launching the event in 1994.

Cancer Research UK continue to back themselves into a corner and deny what the evidence supports and what is patently clear to a growing number of others; Jim Cowan created the Race for Life.

When will CRUK and its leadership under CEO Michelle Mitchell, rediscover some integrity, some honesty, and admit they got it wrong. By now, they must know the truth making their continued denial little short of a lie. A lie they happily spin to any and all who will listen.