Go Dad Run

Lore & Background

Colin Jackson founded Go Dad Run after two of his uncles developed prostate cancer; one responded to treatment, but the other died. This prompted Jackson to learn more about the illness, and he was shocked to discover that while 1 in 8 men in the UK will develop prostate cancer, that figure rises to 1 in 4 men from an African Caribbean background. The first event, a 5K for men and boys aged 16 and over, took place on Father's Day 2013 in Llangefni, Anglesey, starting and finishing at Ysgol Gyfun school, organized by Menter Môn. More than 150 participants wore yellow Y fronts, and Colin Jackson, Mark Foster, Jamie Baulch, and Siân Lloyd attended.

Reader's Guide

Go Dad Run expanded over the years, with three events in 2014 in London, Cardiff, and Birmingham, and six events in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, the runner Y fronts changed from yellow to blue, and the age limit was reduced to 11+. The 2016 events introduced 10K runs at all locations, opened 5K runs to men and boys of any age, and chip timing for all aged 10 and over. In 2017, the format changed to runs in different cities each month from April to October, with Prostate Cancer UK as the lead charity and new national charity partners including Bowel Cancer UK, Orchid, and Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). The project's significance lies in its focus on men's health, particularly prostate cancer, and its use of community running events to raise funds and awareness, with notable athletes and celebrities supporting each event.

Did You Know?

• The first Go Dad Run took place in Llangefni, Anglesey on Father's Day, 16 June 2013.
• Colin Jackson founded the project after two of his uncles developed prostate cancer; one died.
• 1 in 4 men from an African Caribbean background will develop prostate cancer, compared to 1 in 8 men overall in the UK.
• In 2017, Go Dad Run added Bowel Cancer UK, Orchid, and Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) as national charity partners.

Origins & Personal Motivation

Colin Jackson, a former world champion athlete, established Go Dad Run in 2013 as a direct response to a deeply personal loss. Two of his uncles were diagnosed with prostate cancer; one survived treatment while the other did not. Grieving and determined to understand the disease better, Jackson researched its prevalence and was struck by the statistics: one in eight men in the United Kingdom will develop prostate cancer, and the figure climbs to one in four among men of African Caribbean heritage. That knowledge crystallised his purpose. The inaugural event was a 5K run for men and boys aged sixteen and above, held on Father's Day, 16 June 2013, in Llangefni on the Isle of Anglesey. The course started and finished at the Ysgol Gyfun school, with the local enterprise agency Menter Môn handling the logistics. More than 150 participants laced up in bright yellow Y-fronts and took to the streets, while Jackson, alongside Mark Foster, Jamie Baulch, and Siân Lloyd, cheered them on. The event was conceived not merely as a race but as a communal act of awareness and fundraising for male health charities, with Prostate Cancer UK at its centre.

Growth & Evolution of the Format

What began as a single 5K in a Welsh town grew rapidly into a multi-city phenomenon. In 2014, Sanlam stepped in as headline sponsor and the series expanded to three events across Father's Day weekend in Crystal Palace Park, London, Bute Park in Cardiff, and Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham, with the minimum age for boys lowered to fourteen. By 2015 the programme had doubled to six locations, the Y-fronts shifted from yellow to blue, and the age threshold dropped further to eleven. The 2016 edition introduced 10K distances at every venue while opening the 5K to participants of any age, and chip timing was added for all runners aged ten and above. The geographic spread widened to include Sunderland and the Isle of Man. The most dramatic structural shift came in 2017, when the once-annual Father's Day weekend format was replaced by a rolling monthly series stretching from April through October, with stops in Sunderland, London, Brighton and Hove, Worcester, Cardiff, Norwich, and Bristol. Each iteration reflected a deliberate effort to make the event more accessible and geographically diverse, since participants were always free to run, walk, wheel, or jog at their own pace.

Celebrity Ambassadors & Community Voices

Go Dad Run has consistently drawn a remarkable roster of athletes, entertainers, and community figures to its courses. In the early years, Mark Foster, Jamie Baulch, and Siân Lloyd served as regular ambassadors, handing out medals and firing starting guns across multiple cities. World champions Derek Redmond and Donovan Bailey joined Jackson at Worcester Racecourse in 2015, while his actress sister Suzanne Packer started events and presented medals in Warrington. Welsh rugby legends Martyn Williams and Tom Shanklin added their presence to the Cardiff run that same year. The 2015 launch event attracted Elizabeth Emanuel, Fernando Montano, and David Seaman. By 2016, the London launch at the Grange, St Paul's Hotel, featured an Olympic Q&A with Daley Thompson and Leon Taylor alongside Baulch, introduced by Siân Lloyd. Equally important were the voices of prostate cancer survivors such as Errol McKellar and Alfred Samuels, who shared their experiences at that same launch. Local enterprise agencies like Menter Môn in Anglesey and community partners at each venue ensured the events remained rooted in the towns they served.

Charitable Mission & Expanding Partnerships

The core mission of Go Dad Run has always been to spotlight men's health, with prostate cancer as the central focus. Participants raise funds through sponsorship for male health charities, and Prostate Cancer UK has served as the lead charity throughout the project's history. The 2016 launch event in London underscored this commitment by giving the platform to prostate cancer survivors Errol McKellar and Alfred Samuels to speak openly about their diagnoses and treatments. In 2017, the charitable scope broadened significantly. Three new National Charity Partners joined the programme: Bowel Cancer UK, Orchid, and Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). In addition to these national partners, every individual run was paired with a local care-based or hospice charity, ensuring that fundraising reached grassroots services in the communities where the events took place. This layered approach—combining a national lead charity, additional national partners, and hyperlocal hospice links—reflected Jackson's original intent to make men's health a conversation that could not be ignored, particularly given the stark statistic that one in four men of African Caribbean background in the UK will develop prostate cancer.