Running with terminal cancer by Kevin Webber
THIS week I am travelling to Albania for my next big running race. It promises to be an awesome experience that will take me out of my comfort zone and test me in so many ways.
I have run many UK races and whilst they are often tough there is much that I am familiar with, like language, customs, food, people, climate etc.
This race has little of that for me. I know nothing about Albania apart from the fact that it was communist-ruled until 1991, had an uprising later that decade, and has been unstable politically since. Apparently its armouries have been regularly ransacked over the years so that lots of civilians have guns and many of those are Soviet automatics!
Also, English in not widely spoken, their customs are very different to ours and the race itself is six days, climbing 24,000ft in remote areas and running through World Heritage sites like Berat and Butrint.
So this is a challenge like no other I have undertaken. On top of that there are only 43 runners from 20 countries, a real melting pot of a race. Once my race day nerves have gone, I really can’t wait to get my teeth into it.
I do these races to push myself to show people with prostate cancer like me or any adversity in their lives that you should never give up.
I wonder when you last did something outside your comfort zone, as I promise you it’s an exhilarating feeling once you jump in.
Why not be brave this week and do something a little scary and different and use the experience as a force for good?
Until next week,
In Albania a lot of civilians have guns and many of those are Soviet automatics