Finding A Focus Chris Johnson knows the next London Marathon could be his last long race
NEWS, VIEWS, TRENDS and ORDINARY RUNNERS doing EXTRAORDINARY THINGS
WHEN CHRIS JOHNSON sets off at the London Marathon this October, he will have achieved something extraordinary. For the father of three from Sunderland, the race is a bucket-list event he has tried to take part in for years. But 2021 may be his last chance to run long – Johnson has incurable cancer.
He started running in 2013, when he was in his early thirties and getting ‘a little podgy’. He began running most days, later entering 10Ks and half marathons. Life later got in the way, but by 2017 he was still running a few miles a couple of times a week, as well as taking the occasional spin class. He describes his routine then as ‘nothing too hectic, but just enough to keep myself fit’.
In June 2019, everything changed. He started feeling weak and his energy levels dropped rapidly. He noticed his treadmill runs were taking longer and soon he couldn’t exercise at all. Assuming it was routine tiredness, Johnson increased his coffee intake. But his condition continued to worsen, so he went to his GP. After a few tests and transfusions, Johnson was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) in his small bowel – a relatively rare form of cancer, the symptoms of which are similar to those of the more common bowel cancer.
He had an operation to remove the tumour in January last year, but in July he learned that the cancer had spread to his liver.
With such devastating news, you could forgive a person for giving up on their fitness goals. But Johnson had other ideas. Just before Christmas, he switched his medication from imatinib, which drained his energy and made him nauseous, to sunitinib, which, he says, has ‘more manageable’ side effects. With renewed energy, Johnson got a new lease of life and started lacing up his trainers.
‘I decided that I wanted to do something positive and give myself something to focus on. So I started running again.’
Johnson initially intended to take part in the Great North Run. ‘I really enjoy it. It’s a great atmosphere and, being from the North East, it’s your home event,’ he says.
But when his fitness returned quicker than expected, he set his sights on the London Marathon.
‘It’s a bucket-list event for me; I haven’t done it before. I’ve watched it on TV a lot of times, the atmosphere looks great. And I lived in London for a while, so I’ve seen people run past. It’s the one that I wanted to do.’
Johnson contacted Children with Cancer – the charity he had partnered with for the Great North Run – and the organisation secured him a spot in the race. Assuming his current fitness levels continue, and allowing for ups and downs as a result of his treatment, he hopes to run the marathon in four hours, which would be a return to the sorts of times he ran six years ago.
To that goal, Johnson is working on his diet, which, he says, was ‘rubbish’ until Easter. He hasn’t yet cut anything out, but he’s eating less processed food and ensuring he gets enough protein.
‘I’ve trained for half marathons, so I will get more obsessive about it as I get closer to the races,’ he says. ‘I know, realistically, this could quite easily be my last healthy year. I’m at the mercy of my medication. I feel fit, but this time next year, it might not be the case.’
He’s remarkably upbeat. In every picture he posts on social media, Johnson is beaming. ‘Running until I’m exhausted makes me feel alive,’ he says. ‘It reminds me that I’ve still got some time yet.’
‘I KNOW THIS COULD BE MY LAST HEALTHY YEAR’