Sunderland dad-of-three with incurable cancer celebrates running 1,000 miles in 12 months

Chris Johnson, from High Barnes, has been awarded a medal from online running company Virtual Runner UK for completing 1,000 miles in a 12 month period.

Virtual Runner UK usually awards the medals to those who complete the achievement within a calendar year however a special exception was made for Chris, who has raised more than £25,000 for Children with Cancer UK while undergoing his own battle.

The 42-year-old was diagnosed with a Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST), a rare form of cancer which affects the digestive system, in December 2019 and doctors confirmed that it is incurable.

Upon receiving the medal, Chris reflected his running journey which has taken shape over the last year.

He said: “Some runs were easier than others, it was a bit patchy, I had a few weeks throughout the year when my medication was bad so I didn’t do much running.

"I made up for it by having a big month in January doing catch-ups as that was the last of the 12 months so I’m pleased to have done it and hopefully be around for another 1,000.

"I didn’t start running until February last year just because of the cancer treatments so I was trying to squeeze it in during 2021 but that was pushing it.

"The London Marathon was a special one, I hadn’t done it before and that was the big event from the fundraising point of view but my favourites are always the local events like the Sunderland 10K and the Great North Run.”

Looking ahead to 2022, Chris intends on continuing his fundraising efforts for Children with Cancer UK and has various challenges lined up for this year.

He added: “The fundraising is still unbelievable, I haven’t even started the events this year and I’m already over £2,000 just from the current fundraising.

"In total, it now stands at over £25,000 and if I can have another successful year then it will make a world of difference to the charity.

"The events are only partially running this year, in March in cycling the coast to coast – I’m not really a cyclist at all so I’m looking forward to getting that finished rather than doing it.

"I’m climbing the national Three Peaks in June and then I’ve got a lot of runs such as the Manchester Marathon, the Great North Run, the Sunderland City Half Marathon and no doubt I’ll be doing the London or Kielder Marathon come October if all things are well."

Susan Wheatcroft, the founder of Virtual Runner UK, has heaped praise on Chris for the achievement of covering 1,000 miles in 12 months.

She said: “Virtual Runner is delighted to have been able to reward this tremendous effort in the shape of a medal.

“It is very inspiring to witness people of all ages and abilities achieving their own fitness goals.

"It's not always easy to do this on your own, but with Virtual Runner you know there is a community behind you every step of the way.

"I now hope that Chris is hanging his medal with pride.”

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