Dad-of-three with incurable cancer completes the Sunderland 10K as part of his training for the London Marathon

Chris Johnson from High Barnes was sadly diagnosed in December 2019 with a Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST), a rare form of cancer which affects the digestive system.

Chris had the tumour removed in January last year however it had already spread to his liver and doctors confirmed nine months ago that his condition is incurable.

Following the news, the 41-year-old wanted to challenge himself and set his sights on running the London Marathon in October this year.

Chris has so far raised over £6,500 for Children With Cancer UK and hopes that the challenge will also boost the spirits of his wife Lucy and their three young children Luke, eight, Molly, seven and Nancy, four.

As part of his training for the marathon, Chris is taking part in a number of events, with the Sunderland 10K on Sunday, June 20, being the first – finishing the run in one hour and 35 seconds.

He commented: “It was a bit warm which meant that it wasn't easy but I just took my time and enjoyed it rather than push myself and risk a possible injury.

"It isn’t the longest distance but it was the first event with other human beings and plus it was in my hometown so I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

"I was thinking about the half marathon but decided the 10K would be the safer option rather than over stretching myself.”

Chris, who is set to run the Durham 10K in July and the Great North Run in September, ran a half marathon in April and revealed that his training is going well.

He added: “It has been difficult with the heat but I’ve been getting on with it, thankfully my medication has been steady, obviously it is not without side effects but it is manageable.

"The fundraising has also been going really well, I’ve had a chat with the charity and we are going to up the target to around £10,000.

"I’ve got more scans in July and they are one of the few occasions in life where no progress is good news so fingers crossed for that and I’ll be ready for October.”

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