Jake Quickenden ‘soaked to the bone’ after running London Marathon as giant bone
The former X-Factor contestant was raising money in memory of his younger brother Oliver, who died of bone cancer in 2012.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Singer Jake Quickenden said he felt “soaked to the bone” after running a rainy London Marathon dressed as a giant bone.
The former X-Factor contestant was raising money in memory of his younger brother Oliver, who died of bone cancer in 2012 at the age of 19, the same disease that killed their father four years earlier.
Quickenden said he felt “emotional” at the finish line after only ever running 11 miles beforehand, but he knew Oliver would have been “proud”.
The 34-year-old former Dancing On Ice champion, who was cheered on by his wife and sons, told the PA news agency: “I didn’t think I would get that emotional.
“As soon as I came over the line and saw the family at the finish and just how much it meant to everyone crossing the line, all the other runners, it was emotional.
“It was such an inspiring day.
“The amount of encouragement people give you on the streets, and the other runners.
“Everyone’s running for a reason and that really shone through… it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
On how Oliver would feel seeing him cross the finish line, he said: “He’d think I was an idiot, he always did.
“I feel like if you rest on your laurels and get comfortable you don’t really grow as a person.
“I think he’d be pretty proud.”
He added that running as a giant bone “didn’t make it easy” and his hip flexors felt “in other dimension” after carrying its weight for 26.2 miles, but it was worth it to hear people chanting “Sarcoma UK” and “Mr Bone”.
“As soon as it rained it got wet and double as heavy,” he said.
“But it’s a bit of a barrier as well, I felt like I could hide every now and then and get in the zone and give myself a bit of a pep talk.
“I think if I did it again, I definitely wouldn’t do it in fancy dress.”
His race raised more than £12,000 for Sarcoma UK.