Paul
10 May 2017
Paul couldn’t fasten his own shoe laces without getting out of breath, but in April 2017, he ran the London Marathon.
The 38-year-old father-of-two was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2014 and as part of his recovery process he had to lose weight and get fitter.
Paul said: “With any thyroid problem, even if you eat healthily you put on a lot of weight, so once I had got over my cancer treatment I decided I needed to get in shape.
“The turning point came when I had to get my seven-year-old daughter to tie my shoe laces for me!
“I joined the Up and Active Couch 2 5k scheme, basically starting at the very beginning. I completed the 9 week Programme at Seedhill Athletics and Fitness Centre in Nelson, which encouraged me to carry on.
“With the help of close friend and Up and Active Exercise Consultant John Bannister, I then completed the Scarborough 10k and The Great North Run, afterwards swearing I would never do another run again – and now I have run the London Marathon!
“When I first started to get fit I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be running the London Marathon!”