Streak

Getting old, we can deal with. Being old is the problem. That being said, once we reach a certain age, it's hard not to wonder whether our running pace dwindles in opposite direction to the number of birthday candles.

Should you start tempering your running ambitions and accept the setback of going old, please go and read the story of Kevin Webber. He was told aged 49 that both his prostate cancer PSA score and Gleason score were sky high.

"Good morning, Mr Webber. I am looking at your test results. The Gleason score would fall somewhere between six and ten with six being the lowest form of cancer. Your Gleason score is between nine and ten, but let's say it is a nine."

The bad news about his prostate cancer was followed by Q&A. He immediately asked the specialist for a prognosis. "Mr Webber, you have between two to ten years, but you should realistically think you have between three to four years to live. Definitely don't think ten."

After the devastating news of high-risk prostate cancer, Kevin Webber started running – in addition to a brutal regime of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He became a legendary runner and decided to keep a running streak. That means a personal challenge of running every day. He finished his first Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert of Morocco, the toughest foot race on the planet, in 2016. Then race across the snow and ice of the Arctic and the jungles of Cambodia. On his 55th birthday, he ran for 28 km, and celebrated his having survived another year of cancer and one day away from ticking off another ultra-marathon.   

He's still running. And I should, too.