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TOM SCOTT Transplant Games medallist

Five years ago, sports coach Tom Scott was suffering from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. After six months of chemotherapy and an unsuccessful stem cell treatment, the search was on for a donor. ‘A stem cell transplant was my best hope, but my ethnic background lowered the chances of finding someone suitable,’ says Tom, from Edinburgh.

In May 2013, a match was found in America. ‘It felt truly amazing to know that there was someone thousands of miles away who was willing to help me,’ says Tom. ‘I now do all I can to get more people from ethnic backgrounds to join the donor register.’

In July, Tom participated in the British Transplant Games as part of Team Anthony Nolan. He ran in the 5K, 1500m and 800m races, bringing home a bronze and silver medal. ‘It was a very special experience,’ he says.

EUGENE WINTERS Making up for lost time

Eugene ‘Oggie’ Winters took up running at 54 to ‘lose a bit of weight’. Five years later, the gardener from Portstewart in Northern Ireland has just completed his 300th marathon.

His astonishing feat has seen him travel the world; he’s done all six Marathon Majors, run 100 miles in 24 hours and completed numerous consecutive day challenges (with the occasional finish line crossed on crutches). ‘It makes me smile to think what my old PE master would think of me now,’ he says.

Oggie celebrated finishing his 300th marathon just as he did the previous 299 – with an ice cream, complete with chocolate flake.