A FULL day of athletics dedicated to the late Kieran Maxwell is to be held in Darlington in April.
Darlington Harriers is staging a memorial athletics meeting to honour the teenager, whose battle against a rare bone cancer won hearts around the world.
Kieran, a promising sprinter who was being considered for the Great Britain Paralympic triathlon team, died last June after a seven-year fight against the disease.
The 18-year-old from Heighington, County Durham, was determined to make the most of his talent despite losing his left leg after being diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in October 2010.
Sadly the cancer spread to his heart and lung before he could fulfil his Paralympics dream.
Darlington Harriers is hosting an open track and field meeting at Eastbourne Sports Complex on Sunday, April 8 for the Kieran Maxwell Legacy fund at the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group.
Kieran represented Harriers with pride in local and national competitions. He even took part in the mini Great North Run while undergoing gruelling chemotherapy treatment.
A full day of athletics will include sprints and middle distance events for age groups from Under-13 to seniors.
Races for Paralympic and wheelchair competitors are included.
Harriers men's track captain, Mark Tallon, said: "This is our way of paying tribute to a truly inspirational young man who showed so much courage in the face of daunting adversity.
“Kieran carried the Olympic torch with pride when it came to Bishop Auckland before the London 2012 Games and also won a gold medal at the Brazil Paralympic School Games in 2015 before his life was cruelly cut short.
"We are determined to ensure his legacy lives on.”
Entries for the Kieran Maxwell Memorial Open Track and Field Meeting are available online via www.race-results.co.uk until the closing date of Monday April 2.
Entry for a single event costs £6, with further entries costing £4.
The Kieran Maxwell Legacy at CCLG is raising funds to support research into Ewing’s sarcoma and all childhood cancers.
To donate, log on to
www.cclg.org.uk/KieranMaxwellLegacy
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