Inspirational teacher completes 100th park run after cancer diagnosis

Back in December, Roger Gwinnett was "absolutely shocked" to learn that he had been diagnosed with Bowel Cancer, aged 55, after dismissing some of the early warning signs and symptoms.

With Roger fortunately responding well to his radiotherapy treatment, just before covid interrupted many appointments, he was given further devastating news that his younger brother Dave had also been diagnosed with cancer in 2020.

Sadly, Dave's condition was much more aggressive and advanced and he was given just a few weeks to live following his diagnosis.

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Roger was celebrated for his inspirational milestone (Image: Roger Gwinnett)

Despite the awful news that befell the Gwinnett family, Roger tried to retain a positive outlook and kept up with the parkruns which he had started two years prior to his diagnosis.

Participating in the 5k park runs at Pennington Flash, Warrington, and St Helens, the recently retired history teacher hit the milestone of completing his 100th park run last month.

Not only did the teacher complete a century of park runs, which is an achievement in itself, but it was also his 37th with cancer - with 26 runs completed with a colostomy bag stuck to his side.

After leaving a note with the St Helens parkrun organisers to inform them of his milestone, many parkrun participants commended Roger for his "inspiring" achievement and encouraged others to open up about their battle with cancer.

Roger's letter after his 100th park run (Image: Roger Gwinnett)

Roger, from Lowton, said: "Since my diagnosis, I've held the idea that three things will help you survive cancer.

"One is trust in the science and treatment, which is the most important thing, and then there's luck, as I believe I've been very lucky to have caught my diagnosis relatively early and that I received my treatment before covid.

"Then there is your own physical health, which is why I've kept running. The parkruns are a wonderful thing that happens every week across the country, and it really helps me to feel like I've achieved something.

"I would describe myself as quite a reluctant but committed runner, so it's great to have completed the 100 park runs, and I thought I would leave a note to remind people of what they can do and the symptoms to look out for."

Currently in remission from cancer, Roger is planning to enjoy his retirement and healthy living with his wife Lindsey.