The results are in… our eight runners from the Canine Genetics Centre and the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, together with friends and supporters, completed the Big Relay on Sunday 6 September, raising £1,665 so far for CGC research into sudden death in young Labrador Retrievers. In addition, Dr Christine Richter, whose dog Skye died from the condition a year ago, set up a separate JustGiving page to support the fundraising drive. Her fundraiser has brought in more than £1,900, taking the combined total at the time of writing to more than £3,600.
Conditions were tougher than expected, with rising temperatures throughout the morning, but all eight runners completed their legs and both relay batons made it safely from Tower Hill to Greenwich. Jose Novo Matos and Jim Johnson got the two teams underway on the opening leg. Joanna and Harrison Whyton then took over the batons, before handing on to Katell Guernic and Cathryn Mellersh, who enjoyed the atmosphere on Tower Bridge. Catheryn Partington and Fi Oliver faced the toughest leg of the day, with the final section around 1.5 km longer than the others, before bringing both teams home at the Cutty Sark.
For Joanna and Harrison, the relay had a particular significance. They lost their Labrador, Taitti, suddenly at just eight months old in December 2025, and ran their leg in her memory. “It really was a fun event for a brilliant cause and Harrison and I were happy to assist,” said Joanna. “I’ll be following all the great work you do and hope at some point to do another fundraising event with you all.”
The money raised will support the next stages of the Labrador Retriever Sudden Death project, including genetic analyses to search for variants that may contribute to the condition. The project is investigating why apparently healthy young Labradors can die suddenly and unexpectedly, often while asleep, by collecting DNA samples and clinical information from affected dogs and their relatives.
Cathryn Mellersh, who leads the genetic research, said: “Thank you to everyone who took part, runners and supporters alike. It was a great day and I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. We’re hugely grateful to all those who gave up their weekend to help us raise funds and awareness.”
The Big Relay fundraising page remains open, and further donations to support the research are very welcome: https://www.justgiving.com/page/labrador-dna-research
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