Man to run marathon after leg cancer treatment

James Gough said he wanted to raise money for Sarcoma UK

A man who plans to run the London Marathon after major surgery to remove cancer from his leg has said: "If I have to crawl across the finish line, I'm getting there.”

James Gough, 42, from Shrewsbury, was diagnosed with a synovial sarcoma in March 2023 and said he still had "a general feeling of wonkiness" after the surgery.

He is running to raise money for the charity Sarcoma UK.

Mr Gough said: "It's something I need to do to prove to myself that cancer isn't going to beat me."

After ignoring the pain in his right leg for 18 months, he said it was initially diagnosed as a blood clot and when doctors performed surgery they discovered the tumour.

He said: "I was shellshocked. My head was ringing, my ears were muffled, and I just stared into nothingness while my brain fought to comprehend what the hell just happened.”

Mr Gough now has regular scans to check his health and said: "I am one of the lucky ones - they managed to catch my sarcoma incredibly early."

Speaking about the marathon, he joked: "It's probably not the cleverest idea of mine to try running 26 miles after major surgery with less muscle in my leg."