Making the start line of this year’s London Marathon for Tenovus Cancer Care was remarkable enough for 51-year-old Lindsey Allan who was only given the all-clear from breast cancer eight months ago.
To then smash the epic cobbled course in under five hours was a personal triumph for Lindsey who’d trained for the event throughout her treatment, under medical supervision.
I didn’t expect to so emotional at the finish. I just kept thinking of the year I’d had, from finding the lump to be given the all-clear, and couldn’t believe how far I’d come, said Lindsey.
"At the end of the race, I had this feeling of elation, relief, and a - oh my goodness - I’ve done it despite everything moment.
I celebrated with a burger and a glass of wine later that night with mum, dad, Hattie and Jamie - it was a rare treat."
Lindsey travelled to London with her mum, dad, and children - Hettie and Jamie - for this year’s big race event, which also marked the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM).
Just making it to the UK capital was a “marathon effort” for Lindsey and her family after their original travel plans were scuppered by the train strike: “When we heard the trains weren’t running, I tried not to panic. I was nervous enough already!
We decided to drive up a day earlier instead - there was no way we’d have made it across London to Greenwich otherwise. If I’m honest it was probably a good thing. It gave me time to pick up my number, relax, and just take it all in.”
Lindsey admits she was feeling pressure in the run up to the event.
“I’d been worried something was going to go wrong - that I wouldn’t finish - and let everyone down. What helped me keep going were my family, and the crowd, cheering me on and shouting my name - encouraging me to keep going when, in a split second, I might have stopped and given up."
Just talking to the other runners and hearing their stories along the way was inspirational enough but to have my family with me, in that moment, was something very magical I will never forget.”
Lindsey had dusted off her trainers and started running again the start of the Covid-19 pandemic to regain fitness and to get out of the house as she was “fed up with looking at the four walls”. She was soon running 5km and upping the miles every week. But in September 2021 Lindsey discovered a lump “and a funny shape” to her right breast. She made an appointment with her GP who referred her for tests.
The breast cancer diagnosis that followed came as a shock as she’d felt so healthy.
“I’d been doing all the right things and I was in disbelief, there were some tears, said Lindsey.
Then I became determined my cancer diagnosis, the Mastectomy and follow up treatments weren’t going to stop me running my first ever marathon! With the support of my physio and a good friend, we came up with a training schedule which allowed me recovery time but also packed in the miles. It’s been hard, I’m not going to lie, but I’m so proud I stuck with it now.”
Running for Tenovus Cancer Care was an extra incentive as there’s never been a more important time to support people affected by cancer, to provide them with services that will help them get through their diagnosis and treatment.”
Against all the odds, Lindsey recorded a personal best time of four hours, 46 minutes, and 45 seconds, helping to support all people affected by cancer and importantly raise awareness of breast cancer.
Twenty runners completed the London Marathon for Tenovus Cancer Care this year.
The money raised will go towards providing wraparound care such as professional nurse-led support, benefits advice and counselling.
